Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Cop Story ❯ Warehouse Brawl ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer : They're not mine. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

A Cop Story

Part Seven

By RM

Warehouse Brawl

Rats of various sizes scuttled in and out of the crumbling structure of the old steel-plant warehouse. The warehouse itself was dark, smelly, massive and empty, belonging to a much bigger compound which was in line for demolition when the city got around to it. Most of the machinery had been cleared out, but there were still immense vats and tanks here and there, along with one or two old, rickety assembly belts.

"There'd better be a bomb." Vegeta grumbled as Goku nodded, both a bit moody since missing lunch.

Outside, the rain pounded on the roof and windows, echoing in the stale, clammy air.

#17 made a face at the amount of dirt on the floor and the piles of rubbish and debris scattered around. He was wearing a suit, as all of the investigators did and he didn't really care to get all grubby. He eyeballed the cracks in the walls and high ceilings watching the water drip and flow inside. The place had been abandoned for years and years, closing as the steel industry moved out of the area later to be used by undesirables of all shapes and sizes. Over the years, it had been a great place for gang fights, drug deals, vandals and even hiding dead bodies. Today, they had gotten a tip that something big was going down. Given the history of the place, Captain Roshi took the tip seriously, and decided to send a few men down to check it out.

Goku and Vegeta scanned the scene with Saiyan senses. Neither one could sense any outright ki, but both could sense an overall smell of maliciousness.

Yamcha strayed from the rest of the group with Puar, walking around one of the vats to check out another corner of the spacious structure. Puar was shaking as he floated along behind Yamcha, who inched along the wall without actually touching it.

The rain continued on even harder outside. It was going to be one of those days.

*****

He growled as he approached the warehouse. The boss had sent him out for some things and on his way back, he had misplaced his bag, only to have it taken by a bunch of kids who he had followed to this old warehouse. He had promptly chased off the kids and taken back his bag, which was now very soggy.

And then it happened, just as he was about to turn and leave, he sensed some power levels. While he wasn't a very good judge of power levels, he could sense them faintly, and they were piteously low. They weren't far off either, and since today had gone so badly, and he was bound to get yelled at when he got back, he was just itching for a fight.

It was very easy for him to find a way in.

*****

"Hey, Puar? Did you hear something?" Yamcha asked shakily.

Puar shook his head in response.

"We should get back to the oth…" Yamcha began as something grabbed his arm, swung him in a circle and right into the solid brick wall. He sailed clear through and landed on his stomach in the rubble, dazed and moaning.

Puar panicked and promptly changed into a lead pipe.

The unseen attacker snickered as he heard voices not far off.

"What in the hell was that?" An angry voice spoke.

"I dunno." This voice sounded serious too. "Where are the others?"

He ducked behind the vat and prepared for a rush at the other voices. He peeked around the side and caught sight of two men in uniform. So the police were here? This should be fun.

He powered up and began his rush. He passed by the first one, a short officer as he rammed his fist into his stomach while maneuvering a kick into the taller officer's ribcage, sending him flying into one of the nearby vats. Vegeta didn't sense the attack coming as he dropped to one knee, coughing up bile and a little blood. Goku crashed through the huge metal siding, exploding through the other side and landing in a heap. He tried to shake the dizziness from his vision. He wasn't hurt too badly, but he was still hurt. Whatever had hit him, he didn't sense. He didn't have time to erect a ki shield to cushion the blow. He heard Vegeta coughing and then a sickening crunch of bone accompanied by a violent string of curses. He heard #17 call out to the others, desperation in his voice trying to figure out just what could have happened to pain someone like Vegeta.

Almost as soon as it had begun, it had ended. The attacker had simply vanished into the shadows while Vegeta was left sputtering on his knees on the floor. He too was caught off guard, and while the attack was nothing too serious, much like Goku, he didn't sense a thing, and had no time to erect a shield of his own. As he stood up he wiped blood from his lips and roared, holding his side in pain. Whatever it was that HAD hit him, had hit VERY hard.

As Goku was clearing his head, he heard #17's grunt echo from somewhere in the warehouse and a smashing of steel and concrete. As he turned his head to look where he thought the sound was coming from, he felt a sharp pain in his back and the foot that went with it. He felt himself shooting forward again, straight through another section of the same vat he had just crashed through. He came through the other side and collided with Vegeta, propelling him off his knees and smacking him into the opposite wall, where they imprinted outlines on the plaster before falling into a heap on the floor.

Yamcha was starting to recover. He stood up and was grabbed by his collar and thrown over someone's shoulder, and as he sailed through the air his thoughts raced, mostly thinking about how this situation really sucked, until he hit something solid and bounced off.

Spice was having a grand time. He was beating these cops senseless, although, for the power level they were exhibiting, they were still in one piece. Perhaps he was losing his touch. He raced with great speed towards the roof, looking down to survey his handiwork. They were all laying there, the two against the wall beginning to get up, coughing in the dust and debris from their wild ride. He chuckled as he rose through a hole in the ceiling, climbing higher and higher. When he felt he was high enough, he held out his palm, and prepared for a good-sized blast…..

Puar was scared shitless. He didn't see a thing, except for Yamcha's body go whizzing past twice. As he lay there in the form of a lead pipe, he heard moans and groans from the others. He switched back into normal form and flew frantically to where Yamcha lay, all the while shedding little tears.

"Yamcha! Yamcha! Speak to me!" Puar pleaded.

A few feet away, Goku stirred and tried to see if his legs were working.

"Kak…a...rott." Vegeta forced out, "Get…your fucking ass…OFF…me!"

Goku looked down and helped Vegeta to his knees. Well, it seemed Vegeta would be alright.

Puar looked around to see where the others had gotten. #17 limped over to the small group holding his arm, which was bleeding all over.

"Hot damn! Did someone get the number of that bus!?" He complained. "What WAS that?"

Goku frowned. He was trying to piece together what had happened. Whatever it was had used ki and was moving so fast that he didn't catch it. Part of the reason, he figured, was that they weren't prepared. He suddenly crinkled his nose as he looked up and ran for Yamcha and Puar.

"Uh, guys? I don't know what just happened, but I think we should power up to full." Goku stated firmly.

#17 gasped while Vegeta shot Goku a dirty look.

"There's something headed this way…and it's not pretty."

*****

"Captain Roshi!" Oolong shouted as he rushed into Roshi's office.

Captain Roshi hurriedly shuffled some paperwork to cover the dirty magazine he was reading.

"The steel warehouse has exploded! And I can't contact patrols 20 and 30!" Oolong continued, panic rising in his voice.

Captain Roshi nodded as he adjusted his glasses. "Probably just the boys blowing off a little steam. It was scheduled for demolition." He shrugged. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll have a talk with them when they come in. I am sure they're all fine. Just wait until they get back."

He opened up another magazine as he scribbled something out on a small sheet of paper.

Oolong reluctantly conceded, and shut the office door on the way out.

*****

"I've narrowed it down to two, but a girl has to keep her options open." #18 smiled and took a bite out of her bagel. "What about you Bulma."

Bulma looked down into her coffee mug, suddenly very interested in whether or not she needed a warmer. When she looked up, both #18 and Chi Chi were waiting for an answer. What could she tell them? I think I have feelings for the Prick?

"I've been so busy with work and adjusting to my new settings. I haven't really thought about it." She told them.

"You've been here for three weeks. A lot of the single officers in the other precincts have been by asking about you since that volleyball game 2 weeks ago." #18 stated.

"Well," Chi Chi added in, "I think Bulma is doing the right thing. I mean, look at the men she's met here. Nothing but ogres."

"Vegeta is not an ogre!" Bulma blurted out before she could stop herself.

"No." Chi Chi replied simply. "He's more of a troll. Ogres are tall."

Bulma was turning bright red from a mixture of rage and embarrassment. She couldn't believe what had just come out of her mouth. She tried to cover for her outburst as #18 smiled into her cup of coffee.

"And Goku isn't an ogre either!" She finished.

Well, she seemed to have Chi Chi on that one. Bulma was beginning to recover from her blush as Chi Chi began to sport her own at the mention of Goku's name. #18 continued to sit there with a very smug look on her face.

Somewhere out in the hall a door slammed forcefully, breaking the silence.

"Krillin is cute and I love him to death," #18 admitted. "But both Vegeta and Goku have a really nice ass."

Bulma choked on her coffee as Chi Chi gasped and blushed deeper. But both women had to admit that #18 was partially right.

"When you are quite finished discussing Kakarott's ass Lieutenant, I will need to go over a report with you." A voice hissed through the doorway to the lounge.

All three women sat still in shock. Vegeta stood in the doorway, his usually immaculate black uniform torn and soaked in blood and dirt. He had a smoldering look of anger in his dark eyes and dark, rusty blood caked down the side of his face and throat. There were two streams of half dried blood smeared around his nose, and he was holding his left side with his right arm.

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried as she shot up from her seat to help him. As she stood there wanting to wrap her arms around him, her only thought was that Chi Chi was wrong. He was a few inches taller than she was in her heels. He wasn't a troll. He was perfect.

"Woman, fuck off!" He grumbled.

He was a Prick.

"Do not cry, woman." He finally sighed.

Bulma didn't even realize she was crying.

"It was my own damn fault. I should have been prepared. I got what I deserved." He looked down at her, the look of anger was still there, but there was also a subdued look of defeat.

"What happened?" #18 asked, not getting too upset. She had seen Vegeta in worse shape, and that was usually after he and Goku would go at it.

"I will not bore you with the details. It is in my report." He stated as he stared down at the three women. He didn't want to talk about it.

"Vegeta! You're a mess!" Goku called from the hallway.

Vegeta began grinding his teeth as Goku walked up and slapped him on the shoulder causing him to wince slightly.

"Goku! Don't be so rough with…Goku!" Bulma cried as she saw the condition her other friend was in. The shoulder of his uniform was ripped through and torn down exposing bloody flesh. He had a cut above his eyebrow, crusted with goo and dirt, and he had blackened grime all over his face. His teeth gleamed white through the soot and dirt as he smiled broadly.

#18 dropped her bagel with a thud. Chi Chi clasped her hands together as she looked him over. Between the two of them they looked like bizarre Halloween costumes. Both men also looked as though they shouldn't be able to stand.

Bulma and Chi Chi were both shaking with fright, seeing both officers in such condition. #18 started laughing. Chi Chi glared at #18 through teary eyes.

"What in the hell in so damn funny?" She shouted a little shakily.

#18 laughed harder as she pointed at the two bloodied figures in the doorway, causing Goku to laugh harder as well.

"What hit you?" #18 finally gasped out.

"Vegeta." Goku said as he almost fell on the floor in hysterics. "At about 300 miles per hour! And you should have seen the look on his face!" Goku continued to laugh as he held onto Vegeta's shoulder for support.

Vegeta didn't utter a sound. He stood watching Chi Chi cry and fume at #18. He saw Bulma in front of him, worry and confusion in every move she made. And he saw Goku and #18 laughing.

Bulma wasn't sure what to do. She was worried. Maybe Goku was in shock. As she looked into Vegeta's eyes, she still saw anger and defeat. And then he burst out laughing.

He didn't know quite why he was laughing. And as he threw his head back and laughed, grabbing Goku's arm to steady himself, he wasn't quite sure why he said what he said next.

"If you think that was funny…wait until you see Yamcha."

At this, Goku nearly hit the floor, and he would have if Chi Chi hadn't been there to catch him. As she attempted to wrap both of her hands around one of his biceps and drag him to where he could sit, he turned that big goofy grin on her.

"Let's get you cleaned up," she said as her look softened.

As he grinned down at her, his laughter died and he felt something funny hit his stomach. He'd seen quite a bit of the Commissioner's daughter in the past two weeks. She had been stopping by almost every day to have lunch with Bulma or her father, or both. Sometimes she'd cook a huge lunch and bring it in. It always smelled so delicious and sometimes Goku was able to beg for leftovers. Just looking into her eyes made his mouth water.

He allowed her to pull him down the hall and he allowed her to push him onto a wooden bench. She looked him over to see how badly he was hurt while he kept his eyes glued to her face. She was talking more to herself than she was to him as she surveyed the damage to his uniform, stating that it wasn't that bad. It could be fixed. He finally broke her monologue with a chuckle and a smile.

"Ah. I'll have to get a new one. It won't be the first time this year."

"Huh?" Chi Chi asked, worry creasing her brow. "You get this a lot?"

Goku nodded.

"Lucky thing I am a fast healer." He said.

As Goku smiled at Chi Chi, she smiled back, still very worried about him.

"I'll get cleaned up when I get home. My shift ends in about 20 minutes."

She nodded and sighed as she heard growling from somewhere down the hall, but kept a firm grip on Goku's arm. She intended to keep him right where he was for the next 20 minutes.

*****

"If you'd just hold still!" Bulma complained.

"Woman, you are pushing it." Vegeta growled.

"You look like you have a bad coke addiction!"

"Get that frilly thing out of my face!"

"It's a hanky, you jackass! Now spit!"

"No," was his simple reply. "You do not deserve the honor!"

"Fine!" She roared as she spit onto her handkerchief and proceeded to wipe his face with the moist cloth. As he tried to bat her hand away from his cheek, she slapped him. He was surprised that this time he didn't slap her back. Instead, he squared his shoulders and shut up. As he closed his eyes and inhaled, he took in the smell of her saliva. Although it was sharp from the hint of coffee, it was so…her. He found himself wanting more and it made him mad. His only defense was to growl.

"Stop that! Or people might think you're a Pomeranian!" She hissed.

His growl softened, but he didn't stop making the noise.

"I'm a bit concerned about that cut on your forehead. It's bled all down your neck. Come up to the lab and I will clean it out properly." She ordered.

"Woman, do not…" He began.

"Vegeta, don't MAKE me kick your ass! I happen to have it on good authority that heels can leave a mark!" She yelled as she pointed to her shoes.

"You would not ruin good Italian leather in such a fashion." He sneered.

"Vegeta, don't tempt me!" She warned as she threatened him with a pointed finger.

She grabbed his left hand and began to tow him through the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor where her lab was situated. It wasn't a large lab, and most of the space was taken up by gadgets and projects that were half completed, or in bits and pieces. She cleared off a chair and made him sit, noting how he favored his right side.

"What's wrong with your side?" She asked as she took out a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

He gave her one of his best glares.

"OK, OK." She stated as she uncapped the bottle and poured some on a clean cotton swab. "I haven't seen you around…"

"Woman, I am in no mood for small talk." He interrupted.

That stopped the chatter.

She continued to clean the blood that had dried on his face and neck in silence. The alcohol broke through the dirt and crusted blood with the minimal amount of scrubbing and it made Bulma feel better that he was getting cleaned up. She then began to scrub around the gash.

"Does everything you people use for this shit have to smell like piss and sting like hell?" He asked.

"Well, Mr. Congeniality, look who's starting the small talk now." She stated.

That earned her a frustrated sigh. He didn't know what was going on. He couldn't stand the woman, but he wanted to be around her. He hated everything about her, especially the way she made him feel. But when it came right down to it, he couldn't help himself. And that simple fact was very frustrating.

"It's really not a terribly, horrible cut, it's just that head wounds tend to bleed a lot." She added.

Like he needed to be told that.

"But I think you should probably go home and get some rest." She continued. She bit her lip as she tried to think of a good way to phrase her next question, without sounding too obvious. "Is there someone at home who can look after you, or at least make you dinner? Keep an eye on you? Uh, that sort of thing?"

"I do not need watching after. I am not a child."

No, but you sure act like it sometimes, she thought.

"That didn't answer my question." She finally stated.

He mumbled something. It sounded like he was speaking some kind of foreign tongue. But then again, it sounded more like growling that anything else.

"No." He said with a sigh. "I live alone."

Bulma was somewhat relieved to hear that.

"Well," she said, "I guess that just means I'll have to alter my plans for the evening and see to it that you're fed and that you get some rest."

"That will NOT be necessary." He said coldly. "Kakarott and I live in the same complex. We can keep an eye on each other."

It was only partially true, of course. He and Goku did live in the same apartment complex, but he'd be damned if he would spend the entire evening with him, unless they were pounding each other's head in.

"Well then, I'll just have to talk to Chi Chi. We'll go to Goku's place and make you two some dinner, and then we will make sure you are all tucked in and snug." She smiled as she patted his cheek.

He wanted to tell her that it really wasn't necessary. His injuries were nothing. They would heal in less than two days, thanks to superior Saiyan DNA. But in a way he was looking forward to a real home-cooked meal. At least one that he didn't have to make himself.

He grunted as Bulma picked up the phone to make an in-house call down to Chi Chi.

*****

So I uploaded another one as the next chapter looks a little on the slow side, but we'll see some of our favourite couples together. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! And if anyone is still reading, feel free to let me know how I'm doing. And also, you can let me know if I should include hazy chapter summaries…