Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Closer ❯ Surprising Aid ( Chapter 10 )

I don't own it…you know the deal.

 

Sweat rolled into her eyes as she checked and re-checked the unit she was building. Cannot fail…Cannot Fail…Cannot Fail the thought was beating a tattoo across her tortured mind. After her frightening encounter with the Prince, Bulma was more driven than ever to do her very best.

She had been driving her team for the last day and a half with little break and even less rest. Finally, after near mutiny, she finally relented and sent her team off for rest. Meanwhile, she meticulously went over the unit with a battery of end-to-end testing.

Looking up, she noticed the time and encapsulated the Gravitational Room prototype. She straightened up and stretched herself receiving various cracks and pops for her efforts. She stripped and headed for the showers for a quick rinse. This will not fail…This will not fail she thought as she quickly washed and dressed. No amount of showering was going to cover the fact that she looked half-dead. She really needed some rest but was afraid to be alone with her own thoughts. Every time she tried, she lashed out, hurting herself and spinning into a realm of depression that was almost inescapable.

She glanced in the mirror and straightened herself out, piling her wet hear in a bun upon her weary head. `Well at least I don't stink' she thought. Bulma exited the shower, put on her lab coat, checked for the capsule, and headed out to the demonstration area.

 

King Vegeta waited patiently with Bardock for the scientist to arrive while the Prince paced like a caged animal. “Brat, you are wearing a path in the ground. What agitates you this day?”

Prince Vegeta pivoted around to his Father “What if this was a waste of time. Frieza is planning something and we have no time for failures” he spat.

“A King must have some faith that those he trusts with such enormous tasks will perform to the best of their ability. You cannot threaten and browbeat your subjects or employees. It only breeds hate, disloyalty, and treason.”

“Spare me the lectures, old man. This scientist better be everything you think she is or her life will be forfeit”

The King stepped forward and nearly butted heads with his only son. “You will not make that threat again, do you hear me?” he growled

The Prince did not back down. “As long as she delivers, she has nothing to worry about. I will not stand for anyone who could threaten our continued domination or survival.”

“That is not your choice to make. I am King, brat. If I say she lives then it will be so. Know your place and do not overstep your bounds!” the King roared as power began to roll off him.

“Good morning, highnesses” Bulma cut in, “pardon my interruption but I would like to conduct this demonstration now if you please”

Powering down, the royals turned their attention to the blue haired woman interrupting their tete-a-tete.

The men were stunned at the deterioration of the girl. Tired was not enough of a word to describe her demeanor. She was beyond spent and could probably be knocked down with a feather. However, she was all business and hell bent on going forward. Bardock had to hold himself back from taking the girl and having her sedated just so she would get some decent rest. Against his better judgment, he held his tongue and concentrated on the bedraggled soul in front of him.

Prince Vegeta felt the smallest tug on his heart as he viewed how much the project had taken out of the depressed heiress. Something in his mind was driving the thought that he had to help put her right. He tried to shake this thought, only to have it reappear, stronger and more determined.

“Within this capsule, we have housed a gravitational training unit. King Vegeta, I know you are aware of our capsule technology. I figured we should design the unit with the ability to be capsulized in case soldiers needed to engage in training off planet.”

The King nodded while his son still looked suspicious. Bulma pressed the plunger and threw the capsule before it could expand. The Prince almost allowed a look of shock creep into his stony features as the dome-shaped structure that stood where there was nothing before. Grace took this time to slink into the background, carefully watching the group.

“If you'll follow me please” invited Bulma.

The three Saiyans followed along into the amazing structure. Grace decided it was safer to peek through one of the portholes.

“King Vegeta, when you approached me for this project, I thought it would be rather simple.” The King raised his eyebrows

“I-I meant not offense of course but your people are very strong and to make them stronger did not seem like that big of a challenge. However after studying elite training sessions and questioning my team concerning general fighting techniques of the Saiyan race, I found this effort to be one of the most intriguing I have ever encountered.”

“Enough with the bootlicking, Onna. What does this thing do besides waste space?” inquired an irritable Prince Vegeta.

Flushing red with anger, Bulma gritted her teeth and uttered “Bulma Briefs One.”

The Saiyans were immediately treated to a lighter gravity. “This is the gravity of Chikyuu-sei and to prove it…” She held up her arm and shut off her bracelet. “As you can see, I am perfectly fine without my personal gravity apparatus.”

Bardock thought he was going to have a heart attack. `She is mental. She will die if she is not careful.'

Directing attention to the structure, Bulma began “This room is made of Ki proof material. I made sure to utilize the strongest material I could get my hands on in order to withstand a fifty-megaton blast. It is shielded so that outsiders will not be able to gauge the power level of any users training no matter what the technology. The program has the information of every beast or being your people have encountered over the last 50 years. I figure about ten thousand species have been loaded.”

Mouths dropped open across the room and Bulma shrugged. “The information was easy enough to find as you keep records of your missions. I mean data is data, right?

Anyway, all soldiers will have a scan during their first sessions so that they will be recognized instantly from that day forward. Each opponent has three modes: Hand to Hand, Arial Tactics, and Speed Fighting. If you want to learn a technique, use the command `instruct' if not then `fight' will turn the teacher into your opponent. Each opponent has an algorithm that allows it to know you and evolve to be one step ahead of you when you are engaged.”

It was at this point that she took off her lab coat, folded it, and placed it on a nearby surface. She also took off her flats and placed them against the wall. There was something different about her physique. It was leaner and more toned--as if she had been training.

“Please excuse my appearance but I wanted to have enough data in the computer to show you how the program advances as the user becomes smarter and stronger.”

Her audience was stunned. She utilized her own body to test this machine. She was reckless and dangerous—and without knowing it, she was further enticing Prince Vegeta.

“Please, do come closer” she beckoned. As if under a spell, the King, Prince, and Bardock complied and came within ten feet of Bulma.

“Trainer Ali” she said. A human male appeared. He has something covering his hands like gloves without fingers. He looked like a pugilist of some sort.

“This is Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time on my planet. A boxer is someone who fights given rules and usually in three minute periods with one minute for rest in between.”

Prince Vegeta sniggered. “This? This is a warrior on your planet? Rubbish, woman.”

“He is not a warrior but a very skilled boxer. He's a professional gladiator and on my planet, he was one of the best. ” Bulma turned to the Ali clone and took the same fighting stance. “Instruct,” she commanded. The clone was next to her moving in the most fluid manner. Showing Bulma how to avoid blows and protect herself. Together they worked on something called “foot work” and “flicking the jab”. To the Prince, it was like she was putting on a dance just for him. The movement of teacher and student mesmerized him.

The King grinned as he saw his son absolutely floored. `Gods, if she were Sayian, she would be perfect'

Grace had also witnessed the Prince's rapt attention to the blue haired female. She turned in disgust and left the room, determined to put an end to this before it began.

“Stop,” Bulma called. She was getting dizzy from lack of food that day. The need for sleep was also bearing down heavily onto her exhausted form.

Taking a breath, she came to stand in front of the King. “Highness, does this meet with your approval?”

Eyeing her thoroughly he said “This will be of help to my people. Have five more built to house the Elites.” Stepping over to his son, he commanded, “You will make sure she has all she needs, am I clear?” The Prince snarled but nodded all the same and the King strode toward the door.

“Well, woman, show me more of this contraption. I would like to train while I am still young.”

Bulma wanted to react but could not. She was overcome with hunger and tiredness. Her recent success allowed her to relax too much and her body began to give in to fatigue. She stumbled over to the command console and swooned. Vegeta caught her and was about to berate her for clumsiness when he saw her eyes roll and her lids close.

“Call the medical unit at once!” he shouted. Bardock started and nearly did not move. It was as if he was seeing his own child lying there, unmoving and vulnerable. Remembering himself, he contacted the facility alerting the staff that the Prince was on his way with a human female.

Vegeta stroked Bulma's cheek with the back of his hand, his brow creased with worry. The gesture was so touching, so unlike him and he was glad that no one saw him.

 

Phasing through the halls, Vegeta made it to the unit in record time. “Find out what is wrong with her and if she is harmed in any way I will disembowel you myself” he threatened the nearest doctor.

After apprising the King of the current situation, Vegeta tried to calm himself. Internally he was battling for control of the sudden onslaught of worry that assaulted his mind as he awaited word on the girl's fate. He knew he should not feel anything at all, no warrior allow this sort of disturbing attachment. However, he could not—would not leave, until he knew she would survive and rise again.

In twenty minutes, a medical technician was standing before the Prince detailing Bulma's condition.

“The patient has not been eating or resting enough, my Prince.”

The Prince frowned. He had given her a direct order to correct her behavior and she disobeyed him.

“Course of action?” questioned the Prince.

“Right now we are nourishing her intravenously. She is currently awake, refusing to sleep.”

“Of all the—“the Prince pushed passed the doctor, barging in on Bulma as she fought sleep.

“I gave you an order, Onna”

“..sorry” she whispered,

“Not good enough. You WILL sleep and eat. You WILL NOT leave this room until you are deemed fit. Do you hear me, Woman?”

“No, I have to get the line up for your father.”

“You will be of no use to us falling down all over the place. You will do as you are told.”

Bulma looked up at the Prince, eyes stinging with the beginnings of tears. “Please, work is all I have left. Don't take that from me,” she begged. Don't leave me with my own thoughts…please don't…I can't take it.

Her sadness could be felt across the room and it touched the Prince. He wanted to make her better, to make her smile, to make her fight back like the hellcat she was.

“When you are released, you will report to me directly. I will hear of nothing else.”

Bulma's eyes filled with fear. “W-W—Why? What do you want?”

“You will see when you arrive, Onna.” The Prince called to the technician “Sedate her, make sure she sleeps and eats. No release until you are sure she is well. No excuses.

“Yes my Prince.”