Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Danger in the horizon ❯ The night terror arrives...... ( Chapter 44 )

Chapter 44 - The night terror arrives……..

Note: I don't own DBZ or any of the characters, this is not for profit only entertainment.

Please be aware there may be some disturbing moments in this chapter.

Loud shrieks tore apart the quiet night as the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, making the occupants of the Briefs household wake suddenly and rush towards the source of the anguished sounds.

Bulma sat rigidly in the bed; her blue eyes clouded and glazed, whimpering like a lost child. Vegeta was at her side, his powerful hands gently stroking her back in an effort to calm her down, the sounds of her crying stabbing at his heart. Beads of sweat coursed down her face and back unchecked as Bulma began to tremble uncontrollably, the softly whispered malicious words and the disturbing tableau still playing in her mind, over and over again like videotape on a permanent loop.

She closed her eyes, but still the images came at her, the feelings of pain and sorrow feeling horribly real.

"I told you Bulma, I always get what I want, always."

Zarbon was touching her, his massive hands forcing her head over to the scene being played out in front of her, forcibly making her witness the bloody end of Vegeta at the claws of Freeza, his blood spattered face as proud as always, even in abject defeat. Vegeta's eyes locked with hers, and his mind spoke to her, saying words she thought she would never hear, "I love you……….."

"I always get what I want, always."

Zarbon's warm breath caressed her ear, causing Bulma to shudder with disgust. She spat into his face and struggled to break away from his lecherous grasp and run towards Vegeta, who was now failing fast. Zarbon retaliated by back handing across her cheek, the skin splitting, blood trickling down. Bulma shrieked with the pain and darkness fell for a few minutes, shielding her from the worst of the torture that Vegeta was undergoing.

As Bulma woke she could dimly hear the cackles of sheer delight coming from Freeza as he beat Vegeta into a bloody pulp, and a single tear coursed down her face as she heard the final groan passing Vegeta's lips and felt the mental pain as the bond they had together was severed, as Vegeta passed into the next world, his royal blood pumping out of his wounds, settling like a thick red carpet on the metal deck.

"What I want, always."

This time the dream went further than before, it had never gotten to this point. Now Bulma felt herself being dragged away, and she looked down to see her pale slender arms bound in heavy chains making escape impossible even if she had wanted to. Almost unwillingly Bulma fixated her blue eyes on the dead body of Vegeta, hot painful tears now flooding down her distraught face, and she prayed under her breath that she would soon join him in death rather than be forced to perform the indignities that Zarbon would undoubtedly force her into. As she passed a porthole on the ship, Bulma saw the formerly green and blue planet known as Earth glowing an unholy red as the whole surface burned, and she turned away, only to have her eyes rest on a smirking Zarbon, his golden eyes alive with lust, his face alight with the red glow of her dying planet.

Everyone she had ever known or loved was now dead………….

"What I want..."

Bulma could see herself in the polished metal of the ceiling, her clothes torn from her body, Zarbon leaning over her, forcing himself between her legs, whispering the hateful words again, smirk of pure triumph on his face, licking the bloody welt he had put on her face as she tried and failed to pull herself away.

Zarbons hand clutched at the back of Bulma's neck and she felt a sudden painful burning sensation, and with a shaking hand Bulma moved her hand to her neck when Zarbon had removed his, a gloating look on his face as he did so. She felt the skin there, expecting the bonding mark, but now only finding tight, burnt skin, not the raised skin of her scar.

Zarbon had burnt away the last remaining link she had with Vegeta.

There was nothing she could do; her strength had gone, along with Vegeta.

"Always……………."

As her mind finally accepted the awful truth, Bulma screamed Vegeta's name in pain and despair, as Zarbon leisurely raped her resistant body. He made sure to sure to mark her as his slave, pressing his symbol of ownership over her on her left breast with his sharp teeth. She screamed again with the pain and struggled, crying out Vegeta's name, earning another heavy blow from her new master for her insolence.

All was lost…………only death could save her now.

Suddenly she was back in the real world and Bulma sobbed, tears falling from her terror filled eyes, the words coming out slightly garbled as her breath hitched, and she rocked back and forth in an effort to comfort herself, an attempt to keep the demons from her mind. "He's still alive……….Vegeta, I just know it…….I'm scared……" She clutched Vegeta's bare arm almost painfully in an attempt to anchor herself to him, his warm flesh beneath her grasping hands telling her that Vegeta was there, he was alive, it was just a dream. Vegeta responded by carefully pulling Bulma closer to his body, enveloping her in a strong embrace, knowing exactly whom Bulma was speaking of from the moment her nightmare began.

Zarbon.

Vegeta had felt very confident at the time of his battle with Zarbon that he had definitely killed the loathsome creature, but had later suspected that Zarbon would have clung onto life just to have the opportunity to attempt to kill Vegeta once again, not to mention that Zarbon had this obsession with Bulma. The visuals from her nightmare disturbed and sickened him, knowing that he could do little to stop it running its course. This night terror would only stop when Bulma's mind truly accepted that Zarbon was dead, no sooner.

His thoughts were interrupted by the presence of Jock and Sarah Briefs bursting into the room, both hurriedly advancing towards the bed to find out the cause of the disturbance. Scowling at the unwanted intrusion, Vegeta pulled a sheet around Bulma's half naked body, but continued to hold her possessively, noting that her trembling and sobbing had almost dissipated, but her mind still had the flashes of the distressing imagery.

"What the hell happened?" Jock Briefs asked quietly, directing his inquiry towards Vegeta as he sat on the edge of the bed, casting a worried look over his distraught child. Bulma's hair was matted and cold sweat continued to run down her face, her eyes wide and fearful. Jock's first thought was that Vegeta had somehow done this to her, and inwardly he hoped so, because then at least he could try and get Bulma to see what kind of evil person he believed Vegeta was, and then she would stay.

"Just a dream, nothing more." Vegeta grunted back, not hiding his dislike for the man in front of him in the least. "I have it under control old man" He continued, giving Jock Briefs a very cold look, his teeth bared at the man. Bulma had explained to Vegeta how her father had reacted to her departure from Earth, and Vegeta's blood had boiled, knowing that her father had effectively had plans for her to take over his business whether she liked it or not, trying to sever the tie between he and his bonded mate.

"I am still her father, Vegeta," Jock snapped back, now being barely civil to his "son in law", although he knew full well that Vegeta could if he chose to, vaporise him there and then. "Therefore I have a right to know."

Vegeta snorted derisively at the Jock's blustering tone, smelling the fear rise like steam from him, the older mans bravado was all show. "What kind of father treats his daughter like a servant to do his bidding?" He replied, his lip now curling in disgust.

Jock lurched forward trying to wrest Bulma from Vegeta's arms, a very foolish move to make in any situation. Vegeta immediately reacted, summoning a small powerful ball of ki that danced on his index finger: his eyes alight with the prospect of a kill. Jock backed off abruptly, his face even paler than normal, Sarah Briefs gasping at the sight, her jaw flapping noiselessly for once, realising that if her husband continued in such a manner he had then it was all over for him.

Bulma could hear the raised voices around her, and felt Vegetas sudden power up. Growing weary from the argument that was now beginning to boil over into dangerous territory she spoke up. "Just shut the hell up, both of you. I am not a possession or a toy for you two to fight over!" She clutched the sheet close to her body and turned to her father, her blue eyes flashing in anger. "I'm fine Dad, remember I'm not a little girl anymore, so don't treat me like one!" Bulma softened her tone as she saw a hurt look pass over her fathers face. "Go and get some sleep, Dad. I'll talk with you in the morning." She continued softly, squeezing her father's shoulder in reassurance.

Jock opened his mouth to protest, but Sarah Briefs, who had been standing aside from everything, firmly grabbed hold of Jock and all but tore him from the bed, before he could say something inflammatory, casting a worried look at Bulma, but thought better of trying to inject her own opinion at this time. She understood that Jock would have to accept Vegeta eventually and although she too felt heartbroken at Bulma's admission that she would be leaving, Bulma was a smart young woman, ready to forge her own path in life, out from under her father's protective arms. "Come on Jock, you have a big day tomorrow with the refugees arriving, get some sleep." Sarah quietly said to her still obviously irate husband who flashed a look of pure hate at Vegeta, ushering him towards the elevator to go back down to the 1st level where their quarters were.

Once her parents had left the room, Bulma turned back to Vegeta and fixed him with a withering gaze. "Don't pull that shit with my father again Vegeta. In spite of his faults, I still love him, okay?" Vegeta's expression did not soften, nor did Bulma expect it to, he was just displaying his role in her life, her new protector. Her face became more serious as she cast her mind back to the source of her discomfort, and Bulma looked deep into the dark almost fathomless depths of Vegeta's eyes, searching for an answer to question she had on her lips. "Do you think that…..?" Bulma spoke quietly in complete contrast to her outburst only seconds before and the trembling started again.

Vegeta pulled Bulma in close once again, nuzzling her jaw for a few seconds before replying, his arms holding her tightly and protectively, before he rested his head atop of hers, one hand caressing the scar on her neck. Vegeta's tone of voice was tense and edgy, belying his relaxed physical state, for he had seen the manner of his death. "If that foul lapdog of Freeza is still alive." He kissed her forehead softly, murmuring, "There is no way he can withstand my power, I will dispose of him if he is with Freeza when he arrives here."I can't allow her to be subjected to such a life……I will kill that bastard.

Bulma shivered involuntarily, in spite of Vegeta's comforting words and she buried herself further into his muscular chest, the sound of his heartbeat slightly calming her, but still the fear in the pit of her stomach began to grow like a cancer. If Zarbon was alive, then it was anyone's guess where he was, and that was the trouble, not knowing where and when he would appear.

The other factor was the nightmare. Bulma recalled how one of her dreams had come to fruition, that of the rushed journey to Earth, the tail wrapped firmly around her neck. It had been a much more pleasant dream than this recurring night terror.

This other dream was darker, terrifying, like a prophecy.

For in this dream, Vegeta would die and she would be the slave of Zarbon, forced to witness the death of her soul mate, the man she loved and the world would burn. Unconsciously, Bulma grasped the small symbol around her neck and forced herself to remember what Kami had said to her, but even those words did not help.

Oh God……this is one dream I do not want to come true….

Zarbon had to repress a chuckle of pure triumph as recalled how he was ushered past the security detail, they had accepted his revolting disguise and allowed him to continue on, the body of his victim in tow. They had also fallen for his brief explanation about the death of his victim, and in the current circumstances had advised Zarbon to take the body down to one of the incinerators to dispose of it. As everyone around him had been wearing the same biohazard suits as they would be coming into contact with the unprocessed arrivals, and no one had been any the wiser as to his real identity.

His luck had held out. When Zarbon finally reached the massive incinerator, there had been no other station personnel around, so he unceremoniously dumped the body into the waiting flames and removed his mask, grimacing as he tugged the skin off his face. It proved to be more difficult to remove the skin than to put it on as the blood had clotted and dried around the edges and pulled almost painfully at his own skin as the face of his unfortunate victim came off and he tossed it negligently into the flames also, the smell of burning flesh rising to meet his nostrils and for a bare moment, Zarbon almost vomited.

Now he was uncomfortably squeezed into a small storage cupboard of the transport his victim had been assigned to, waiting for departure. His keen hearing could hear the whines of spacecraft around him powering up, and Zarbon deduced that the refugees not going to Earth were now leaving. Soon it would be time for him to leave and meet his destiny. Not long now…..

Richard Evan wearily checked over each refugee ship as those who had recently arrived and those who had not met approval to resettle on Earth were carefully placed in their respective crafts, still deep in slumber from the gas pumped into their nervous systems.

One by one the spacecrafts powered up and left on autopilot, taking their precious cargo far away from the danger area, and Richard silently prayed that they would all find another place to live, somewhere safe. He had so fervently wished that the course of action that had been taken had not been. All of those who had been waiting for entry had genuine reasons for asking for asylum, but the fates had conspired against them once again with bureaucratic red tape and the xenophobic behaviour that some humans displayed, keeping most of the refugees from starting a new life on
Earth, a peaceful planet, far from the conflict they had fled from. Richard turned away from the sad sight and shuffled towards the nearest elevator to make his way up the control centre, ready to make his final broadcast as the Station Delta director - it was time for everyone to leave.

Everywhere on every level, the remaining staff and approved refugees halted at the crackle of the broadcast system, all turning their heads towards the nearest speaker and stopping in what they were doing.

Richard hesitated for a few seconds, composing himself as the emotion caused by the impending arrival of the asteroid threatened to make him stutter and stumble over his carefully chosen words.

"My fellow workers…..The time has now come for us to leave Station Delta and return to our home or in some cases our new home - Earth. In the 2 years that this station has been operational, we have made many new discoveries and new friends, making this experiment in space a success. You should all feel very proud to have been a part of this as I am and I hope that you will all look back on this time with fond memories……I know that I will. Please make your final preparations to leave now and proceed to your assigned ship, once in flight please make your way to the rendezvous point to await the opening of the Earth Shield portal." The broadcast system clicked off for a moment before it crackled into live once more, with Richard giving his final parting words, "Godspeed and a safe journey to you all."

He sagged back into the chair behind him and heard the faint rumblings of ships departing and he gestured to the communications staff to depart as well, leaving him alone in the control centre. From the window beside him, Richard saw the bright flashes of fuel being burnt off as spacecrafts of all shapes and sizes blasted away heading with all speed towards the Earth, and far into the distance he could faintly see the pinprick of light that was heading towards him, bringing the sweet darkness of oblivion.

As he had no family left, his wife having died 5 years before and as they had never been blessed with children, Richard made his final decision as the Director of Station Delta, sadly brushing his fingers over the faded picture of his wife, taken before her death from cancer, there was nothing to return to, the job he had held for two years had been the only thing keeping him alive.

It would only be a matter of time before the massive asteroid hit the station and he had every intention of going down with the sinking ship, just to be with his beloved wife once more.

Amanda woke up, firmly encased in Radditz's thickly corded muscular arms, feeling very warm and safe. She nuzzled him gently in an attempt to wake him so that he would release her, but Radditz continued in his slumber, squeezing Amanda as he murmured about fighting Piccolo. Amanda smiled, knowing that he was happy in dreamland for the time being and tenderly stroked his handsome tawny face, watching as a flicker of a smile curled his lips, the expression making her feel warm inside.

Inch by inch she slipped out of Radditz's crushing embrace and swung her legs over the side of the huge bed that Chi Chi had so gracefully provided for their stay at the mountain home of the Ox King, Chi Chi's father and looked out of the huge window at the magnificent view before her. Out of habit, Amanda reached for her contraceptives which she usually kept at her bedside at home, even though she had not been in a relationship until she met Radditz, Amanda liked to keep up a routine never quite knowing when she might meet someone special. However, on this occasion her slender fingers met nothing but air and the hard surface of the small oak table beside the bed, and for a moment or two, her mouth hung open in shocked disbelief as Amanda realised that she had not put them there.

Vaulting abruptly off the bed, Amanda scrabbled around in the bag that had brought with her, finally locating what she wanted, the small plastic case with her pills, and to her horror, after checking its contents, it had in fact been 4 days since she last took her pills, meaning that she was now most likely pregnant, although it would be at least another month before that was confirmed. "Ahhh shit….." she whispered to herself, brushing her hands softly over her tanned flat belly. According to her mental calculations she had been at her most fertile over the past 7 days, most of which she had spent making love with Radditz. So caught up Amanda was with her new partner, she had forgotten to take 4 days worth of the contraceptive pill that inhibited her fertility.

The sudden realisation hit Amanda like a freight train and she fell on her knees on the hardwood floor, unsure of whether she should laugh or cry. Here she was, just starting anew and then, hey presto! she had most likely become pregnant. This kind of situation only happened in movies or trashy romance novels in Amanda's opinion, not real life, not in her life. She squeezed at the plastic case once more, almost crushing it in her anguish, not noticing that Radditz had woken and was now looking at her with a pride filled smirk on his face. Radditz had woken at the sudden loss of warmth in his arms and edged over to the side of the bed and looked down to see Amanda, the contents of her bag strewn around her, one white knuckled hand clutching a small round object. Frowning slightly, Radditz reached out and placed his hands on Amanda's bare shoulders, whispering softly into her ear as he stroked her soft skin, "What's wrong?", even though through his bond with her, he knew exactly what the trouble was and it was an effort to keep the smile out of his voice. She thinks she is with child….

Abjectly ashamed, she replied haltingly, "I, I think I'm pregnant…." And bowed her head, expecting Radditz to voice his disapproval, due to her perceived carelessness. He would be like most other men, not wanting a child so soon after starting such and intense relationship. Amanda had still not come to grips with the mental bond she and Radditz shared and sometimes his thoughts were like slippery eels evading her grasp, hence her apprehension - she honestly did not know how Radditz would react to such momentous news. In truth, she was not too sure of how to react herself, all the time she had been married, the subject of children had never come up, even though she had wanted to start a family as soon as possible with Victor.

In reply, Radditz hooked his arms around her waist and pulled Amanda back into the bed, kissing her mouth feverishly and passing a powerful hand over her still flat belly in wonderment, knowing that soon if Amanda was in fact pregnant, her belly would swell, signalling to the world her impending motherhood. Radditz could see that she would be even more beautiful when carrying his child in her belly, her body curving delightfully as their child grew, and he kissed her stomach tenderly.

"Don't cry," Radditz said calmly as he witnessed the tears threaten to spill from Amanda's green eyes, brushing her blonde tresses from her face, "I am happy."

"Are you sure?" Amanda asked, her look of shame now being replaced by one of tentative happiness, her mouth quirking up into a half smile.

Radditz pulled Amanda closer to his broad chest, pressing his naked body against hers, his tail coiling around her waist, which as always was an obvious sign of affection and chuckled deeply, the rich sound coming from deep within his massive chest. "Of course I am pleased, silly woman. You have given me the greatest gift I could have ever wished for." He gently raised Amanda's chin and kissed her deeply, calming Amanda's fears in one fell swoop, her eyes now glittering with tears once more, but not tears of sadness, tears of joy.

If he hadn't been sure of staying on Earth before, he was now. Radditz's humble dreams were finally coming to fruition and he was so full of pride he wondered if this was what first time fatherhood always felt like.

I will have a fine son……….I can just feel it.

A good portion of the world government military forces were beginning to mass at the formerly disused section of the Capsule Corporation grounds ready to quell any disturbance that the new arrivals could make once they landed. They set up camp, surrounding the area, weapons charged and ready in case any anti alien forces turned up. Many of the Earth's inhabitants were either happy or apathetic about the possibility of new and strange creatures from other worlds, but there was still a small but fervent group of right wing anti-immigration activists who would be more than happy to dispose of the so-called "intruders", thus the need for battle readiness. The world government had been scandal ridden for some months now and needed the extra public relations boost such a huge aid effort would offer them when election time came around again.

During the night, Victor had supervised the setting up of many capsule homes, and although they were very much basic by any standards they would do for the short time the refugees would be there under his guidance and would be comfortable until the time came that they were fully integrated into human society. The houses now dotted the landscape like white button mushrooms, spreading over a 5 kilometre radius, stocked with food, provided by donations from various multi national corporations trying to win over the public, in other words more publicity for their so called 'civic duty.'

Victor passed a palm over his perspiring brow, the efforts of pulling an all nighter on top of the last traces of a hangover taking its toll. He had made the effort to get cleaned up and sober up but still his mind was in most parts somewhere else, focussed on something or rather someone else. Amanda had not been seen around town and after staking out her apartment which was situated in one of the more affluent areas of Satan City before commencing the vast operation of setting up a liveable habitat for the now fast approaching refugees, and not catching any sight of her, Victor had been sorely tempted to just start drinking again.

He could just not get her out of his mind.

Numerous times he had snapped at the workers helping him accomplish the mean feat and silently he cursed Bulma and her father for putting him into such a situation, but Victor knew it wasn't their fault, it was his own. He knew that he should have refused the post due to his precarious mental state, but Jock Briefs was his mentor and in so many ways he was grateful for the guidance and career opportunities he had been given so freely, many years ago when he had been just another brilliant but poor budding scientist.

Now satisfied that everything was under control, Victor retreated back to his office via his air car, needing a few hours of rest before the onslaught began. By the information given to him, approximately 1,000 refugees would be arriving at the compound in a few hours, transported by the military from the landing site some 50 kilometres away and he needed to be ready for anything and looking at his very sharpest as the media would be there in droves reporting on the asteroid and the evacuation, not to mention the destruction of the only space station Earth had ever created. But in truth all they were after was hungry for one small slip up from the VP of Capsule Corporation and the possibility of getting the scoop of a lifetime.
Before settling back into his comfortable chair to sleep, Victor ordered a wake up call from David, his personal assistant and took one last look at the picture of Amanda on his desk and let his eyelids fall, dropping into a deep sleep almost immediately, images of Amanda in his head.

When Bulma woke again, sunlight was streaming in through the glass of the French doors and she was alone again. Vegeta had held her in his arms, soothing her in the wee hours of the early morning waiting patiently until she finally fell into a dreamless sleep before he left to train as he had done every other day with Goku. Bulma lazily traced the area with one hand where Vegeta had lain the night before and her olfactory senses could pick up the faint musky scent he had left behind, she could not sense him anywhere on the compound, which meant that he and Goku had finished their gravity chamber sparring and had departed for the day to parts unknown to continue, but it didn't matter, Vegeta would return in the evening and that made her smile broadly.

She ran her hands through her tousled hair, her fingers coming to rest on the base of her neck, and with great relief felt that the bonding scar was still there, and what had transpired in the early hours of the morning had been nothing but a horrible, terrible dream, borne from a unfounded fear that Zarbon still lived. The scar which bonded her to Vegeta was so very special and the thought of it ever being removed or in fact being forced apart from Vegeta filled her with anger, no way in hell was it ever going to happen, she would rather fight with her last scrap of strength to oppose it.

Feeling somewhat better in the warm light of day, Bulma snorted derisively at her strange phobia and rolled out the bed, making her way to the bathroom for a shower, eager to get to work on her new project and to continue her mental training. She did not want to waste anymore time lounging around and not contributing, also there were certain duties she would have to perform as the acting vice president of Capsule Corporation, the temporary role she was filling whilst Victor took care of the refugee situation.

As she exited the shower in a puff of steam, Bulma could see that Vegeta had clothed himself in the replacement training clothes she had had the foresight to manufacture. It would just take a little longer for her to fully replicate the armour he and Radditz habitually wore, and then there would be a good reserve of the equipment, but this was not her first priority, which was to replicate the regen tanks that Vegeta had told of. Her mind went over the events of the day before and her conflict with her father over the plan for her and Vegeta to leave once the threat had passed. It was not as if it was forever, she would come back, it was just that she wanted so much to experience a bit of what the universe had to offer, to live a little instead of being obliged to live a life of relative boredom in the halls of Capsule Corporation. It will have to be resolved soon or there will be all hell to pay….Sighing, Bulma pulled on a pair of hipster jeans and a tight baby blue t-shirt, and gave her hair a cursory brush through with her fingers, there was no need to preen as she had in the old days with her very much longer hair, then slipping on a pair of chunky boots, she went to her kitchen in search of some sustenance, checking the time on her tag watch. It was quite late, around 1 pm in the afternoon, and Bulma silently cursed herself having slept away a good portion of the day. "Stupid nightmare…" she mumbled, still trying to brush aside the troubling mental pictures that still rose in her mind, saying over and over to herself, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead….

As she grabbed a banana and flicked the small TV in the dining area on, Bulma decided to see what sort of coverage the local and international media were giving the asteroid threat and the obvious good publicity for Capsule Corporation, which would come from it, before delving into the depths of the scientific wing and starting on her project, hoping that all thoughts of Zarbon would be driven from her mind.

The source of Bulma's bad dreams and fears shifted his position once again in the small compartment he had secreted himself into. The ship he was now travelling on contained both human occupants and a smattering of refugees and it appeared to be one of the first spacecrafts to pass through the portal opened for their entry into Earth's atmosphere. Strangely, none of the crew or passengers seemed to notice the absence of the man he had so cold blooded killed, the man he had obtained enough information from to make this journey.

Perhaps these stupid mammals think he is on another ship.

Diverting his attention from his thoughts, Zarbon returned his attention to eavesdropping and could hear the excited cheers as they passed through and descended at a slow pace towards what he imagined would be some kind of landing site. From what he could pick up from the constant chattering amongst the crew and passengers, and in this case Zarbon was glad that he was able to understand at least 15 different galactic languages, the refugees would be accommodated at a secure location on grounds of a company called Capsule Corporation, the humans given leave to return to their homes and families. The name of the company seemed very familiar to Zarbon, although he could not recall why, and so he decided to sleep for the last part of the journey, wanting to be as refreshed and alert as possible.

From the moment he passed through the portal, it took only another hour before the ship landed heavily at the preappointed site and the weary but ecstatic occupants started to file out, bewildered at the array of military personnel and the persistent flashing of cameras from some of the press who had blatantly decided to oppose the military order of staying away from the landing site, feeling almost overwhelmed by the questions directed at them. As the refugees were herded like prize cattle onto the waiting transport to take them to the grounds of Capsule Corporation, Zarbon seized his opportunity to slip in with them, undetected and confident in his borrowed garb and his normal physical state. He sat as far away from the others as possible, wanting to remain as inconspicuous as possible as he planned his next move. Now all I have to do is find that monkey Vegeta…and then Bulma…….

Bulma dejectedly looked at her plans once again, after several hours of taking care of Victors normal duties and ensuring that he was at the settlement on time to greet the new arrivals and the salivating press. The asteroid was now only 12 hours away from impact and everyone on the planet it seemed was now glued to a TV wherever they were, eager to see the explosion it would create as it crashed into the now desolate Station Delta, then the powerful shield protecting the Earth even if their asses would get numb before the actual event occurred. Imbeciles… she mentally grouched.

Several times Bulma had noticed the startling lack of activity in the science wing and had discovered most of the staff in the staff cafeteria, eyes glazed and fixated on the unfolding events, watching as the first ships arrived on Earth, grumbling as she ordered them back to work.

Realising with a sinking feeling that she would require several parts that were not easy to obtain to build it, Bulma sighed, knowing that it meant that she would have to build them from scratch, delaying the completion of her project for at least another week. She stretched, hearing with a disgusted fascination as her joints cracked and popped with the exertion and decided that if you can't beat 'em then join 'em and made her way back down to the staff cafeteria to watch the idiot box with the rest of the staff who were slacking off, her pretext being to watch how Victor handled the press pack. She entered the noisy area, watching with some amusement as the employees passed comment on the aliens as they started disembarking, some employees having the good grace to look guilty as she entered before turning their attention back to the TV.

Bulma absently watched the screen, seeing the aliens being ushered into the army truck, recognising some of them from her time on Station Delta and she felt genuinely pleased that they had made it after all the horror they had endured in their lives. She was about to turn away when something caught her eye. As more aliens lined up and entered the vehicles, she pushed through the employees crowded around the set, needing to get a closer look.

The face she saw, which although disfigured was all too familiar, as were the glittering malicious golden eyes, the cruel lips. Bulma could hear strange anguished moans of terror around her, and realised that it was her making the sounds, the last thought in her mind being Vegeta………he is here….. and then, she felt the sweet void of nothingness as the floor rushed up to meet her falling body.