Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Fallen Heroes ❯ chapter eight ( Chapter 8 )

I opened my eyes as Trunks carried me into an exam room at the compound. He set me down gently on the table in the center of the room and looked at my wounds.

“The skins already started to regenerate but you've still got a lot missing. Lay down on your stomach.” I didn't want to be in here with him. I just wanted some distance. How was I supposed to get over him when he wouldn't leave me be?

“Where's Dr. Brief?”

“He's doing the preliminary evaluation on 16 and everyone else is busy.” He said from across the room, getting gauze and antiseptic. I nodded and lay down. He cleaned me up and bandaged the wound quickly, never once touching my skin. Once he was finished I got up and looked at my back in the mirror. The bandage stretched from side to side, mid back to the scar where my tail had once been. I felt him move closer to me and when I looked up he was right in front of me. He pushed my bangs out of my eyes and leaned toward me, kissing me gently.

“We could make this work.” He said, simply, and left the room. I sighed and left too.

As I walked down the hall, I was stopped by Bulma's secretary.

“Miss Varitang, you need to change if you're going to be down here. We have investors in today.” I walked past her, thanking her, and continued to my room. As I turned the corner Trunks was standing there.

“Varitang, is that your last name?” he asked. I walked past him and he followed.

“Yes, Saiyans are named after their fathers. My father was Varitang, advisor to King Vegeta.” I answered entering the main house and walking up the stairs.

“So, your father was my grandfather's advisor?”

“Yeah.”

“So how did he end up on Frieza's ship?”

“He was ordered to take a small band of survivors to a ship and get off the planet right before it blew. King Vegeta fell with his kingdom and my father's ship was captured by Frieza.” I walked into my room and into the bathroom, washing up with a wash cloth quickly.

“Did you have any brothers or sisters?” he asked from the doorway as I walked to the closet. I paused in the doorway to the closet.

“Yeah.” I answered simply and walked into the closet. I stripped the dirty combat suit off and my underwear, putting on clean ones. I dressed into a pair of nylons, a black pencil skirt, and a white cotton blouse and grabbed my heels. I sat on my bed and put the heels on. Trunks was admiring my father's sword hanging on the wall.

“You said you had siblings?”

“Yeah, a half brother, his name was Nappa. He was your father's advisor.”

“I remember my mom telling me about him. He died on Namek right?” Trunks asked.

“Yeah.”

“Dinner's ready.” The intercom by the door squeaked. I pulled my hair into a bun and grabbed my lab coat and name badge off the dresser. I brushed past him and walked down the hall.

“Mom never told me how he died.” Trunks said as I crossed the threshold of the lab.

“Your father killed him.” I answered quietly. “Now, if you're going to continue to follow me, you'll need to change into different clothes.” I turned and walked down the hall, leaving him behind. The lighting in the observation room was dim as I entered. Dr. Brief was sitting behind a group of computer, watching them intently.

“Dr. Brief, go eat dinner. I'll watch over it.”

“Ah, Corbin, thank you very much. I'm starving. The MRI's an hour into it. If I'm not back when it's done, start the CAT scan.” He marked the switch over on his notepad and got up, moving to the door.

“Enjoy your dinner. Don't worry about hurrying back. I'll take care of the CAT and call you when I'm done.” I said sitting down.

“Would you like me to bring you something?”

“No, thank you. I'll be fine.” He nodded and left. I was alone now, thankfully. I looked at the three monitors in front of me. The one on the left was for heartbeat, oxygen saturation, and temperature. The one in the middle displayed the MRI images and the one on the right was to monitor brain waves. I looked over Dr. Brief's notes to get an idea of what 16's baseline was. According to the notes, his vitals hadn't changed since the beginning of the test.

“16, this is Corbin. Are you comfortable in there?” I said into the intercom, looking through the glass into the exam room.

“Yes, Corbin, thank you.” He replied, monotonously.

An hour passed and finally the MRI was done. I marked it on the notepad and moved into the exam room. I moved the portable MRI machine away and pulled the CAT machine into place over 16's head.

“Are you doing all right?” I asked as I set the machine up.

“Yes, thank you.” After the machine was set up, I went back to the office. After switching programs on the middle monitor for the CAT scan, I marked the start of the test on the notepad.

“What exactly have you been tell my son?” I whipped around and found Vegeta standing in the dark corner behind me. The tone of his voice told me he wasn't happy.

“What do you mean, Prince Vegeta?” I asked, motioning to the chair next to me for him to sit down.

“He is questioning my motives for killing Nappa. What did you tell him?” He said, staying where he was.

“All I said to him was that I had a half brother and you killed him, nothing more. I didn't bear witness to the events; I told him only what I was told.”

“My motives are my own and I will not explain them to anyone.” He said grabbing me by my neck and squeezing. “I will not have you telling my son anymore about a dead race.” He let go of me and I dropped to my knees, wincing in pain as the skin on my back stretched.

“I bet your forgiveness, Prince Vegeta. I forgot myself.” My voice was a harsh rasp and he left the room. I sat back down in my chair, rubbing my neck to try and ease the pain. The clock read ten as the CAT ended and I marked the time.

“We're done for tonight, 16. Someone will be back in the morning after we review your test results. Until then, you are quarantine to this room. Do you need anything before I go?” I asked, moving the machines away from the bed.

“I do not require anything, thank you.” He replied.

“Ok, if you do press the button on the intercom and ask for one of us.” He looked at the intercom and nodded. I left the lab, locking the door behind me, and went to the kitchen to eat. The house was dark and quiet and, as I walked into the kitchen, I noticed someone with their head down on the counter. I opened the fridge and found a plate inside with my name on it. After putting it in the microwave to warm it up, I poked the person in the arm, almost knocking him off his stool. He lifted his head and I saw the lavender locks in the sparse moonlight.

“I'm sure there's a bed upstairs for you.” He yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

“I thought you might like some company while you eat.” The microwave dinged and I took my plate out, setting it on the counter next to him. I sat down on the stool next to him and ate my dinner in the dark.

“So, we covered your father and your brother, what about your mom? What was she like?”

“I'm sorry, Trunks, but I will tell you no more about that. Prince Vegeta told me to say nothing else.” I got up and put my empty plate in the sink.

“What? Why?”

“The first thing you need to remember about your father is not his pride; you must first remember that he is a king. Even though he may never have been crowned, he was born and raised to lead our people. He mourns heavily for what we could've been and today when you questioned his motives about Nappa, you reminded him that he had a hand in killing one of the last of us. I have never asked him why he killed my brother because it won't change anything. My family was born and bred to serve the royal family.” I sat back down on the stool, sighing heavily. I was tired and my back itched and burned.

“I'm sorry I got you in trouble.”

“You didn't know. I on the other hand have known your father a very long time. I should've known to keep my mouth shut.” We were silent for a while.

“Would you like to go for a walk with me?” he asked.

“Sure.” I did need to stretch my legs after sitting behind the computer for so long. We got up and left through the back door in the kitchen, heading out into the back yard. We walked to the tree line and turned, looking at the beautiful lights of the compound and the city behind it.

“I've never seen it look this good.” He remarked. “It's always been a pile of rubble that barely resembled a house.” He sighed. “It'll look like this again, I swear it.” He whispered. I had the terrible urge to comfort him as I looked at his downcast profile. I put my hand gently on his shoulder and squeezed.

“I thought about you a lot in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.” He said without looking at me. “I thought about how we could make this work.” I took my hand back and rubbed my forehead.

“I don't want to talk about it, Trunks.” I started walking again along the tree line.

“Please, Corbin, I need you to hear me out.” I felt like I owed him that since I'd pretty much stomped on his heart.

“Fine.”

“If this doesn't work out, you could always come home with me. It's not like you could never come back.”

“I had my turn in your world, Trunks; I didn't make it. Don't you think people would be suspicious about a grave stone that says Corbin Varitang and a person living with you with the same name? And what would happen when I die? Would I sit on Snake Way for the rest of my time because King Yemma can't let me in twice?” I sighed. “A lifetime with you won't be enough, I can feel it.” My face was wet with tears and I wiped them away, angry with myself for showing weakness. I looked up and found him standing in front of me. We had walked all the way to the gardens at the front of the house and I hadn't realized it. He was smiling at me for some reason.

“Everyone in the universe that dies goes through King Yemma. Do you really think he's going to remember one name?” he laughed and I cracked a smile. “I'll deny you nothing. Tell me what you want and it's yours.” He said, pushing my bangs out of my eyes and running his thumb down my cheek. The dam that held my feelings broke and I hugged him tightly.

“You.” I whispered against his shoulder. “I want you.” I felt his muscles relax a tad and he hugged me back, kissing the top of my head and then catching my lips. We continued to walk through the gardens, hand in hand, for a bit before he stopped.

“If I promise not to say anything to my father, will you tell me about your mother?” I reached out for Vegeta's energy signal and found it in his room with Bulma and the baby.

“My mother. I miss her very much. She was one of the survivors that my father saved before the fall. She was just a child then and she fell in love with my father. Nappa's mother had died a few years before the fall and at the age of seventeen, my mother had me. She was only twenty three when Frieza killed her.” I yawned, covering my mouth.

“Are you tired?” he asked me.

“Very and I have to be up early tomorrow to got over the test results with Bulma and Dr. Brief.” We walked back into the house and he escorted me up to my room.

“Well, goodnight.” Trunks said and kissed me.

“Goodnight.” He walked down the hall to the room next to mine and entered as I walked into mine. Once inside my closet I stripped down and threw my dirty clothes into the laundry chute. I put on a tank top and a pair of shorts and lay down in bed. `Should I really be doing this?' I thought to myself. `Getting involved with someone during impending doom, that can only spell disaster. I just feel that something's going to go wrong.' I sighed, rolling over on my side. With Piccolo fused with Kami, there were no more dragonballs. No more dragonballs meant no more wishes. `What have I gotten myself into?' I wondered to myself as sleep took over.

I woke up the next morning early. Before taking a shower, I peeled the bandage off my back. The open wound was gone, replaced by pink, tender skin. I chose a pair of black slacks and a low, v neck, crimson blouse, dressing quickly. I pulled on a pair of heeled boots and ran down to the lab. I opened the door and started to greet Dr. Brief when I realized it wasn't him. Trunks was sitting at the table with Bulma, wearing a pair of black slacks and a white button down shirt. As I walked around the table to get to my seat I noticed he had a lab coat and a name badge on also. I looked at him, nodding my approval. Dr. Brief came in and handed us all a folder, taking his seat amongst us. The test results from last night were in the folder with Dr. Brief's notes.

“He's not human based like 17. That's going to make this very difficult.” Bulma said.

“But he does have unlimited energy with no traceable signal like 17 and 18.” Trunks added.

“Corbin, you're my wiring and components expert. Tell me what you see.” Dr. Brief said. I studied the pictures of the inside of 16's head.

“A lot of his right hemisphere has been blown away and it looks like his motor function cortex has been severely damaged. I can replicate it but I would need someone else to program it.” I said.

“Well, that won't be a problem. I'll get started on the coding if you'll get started on the replication.” Bulma said to me. I put my folder down and looked at Dr. Brief.

“We're going to need the main lab to do this as quickly as possible. Can you arrange that with the investors still being here?” I asked him.

“I'll see what I can do. We'll meet here after breakfast.” He said and we went to the main house. By the time we had finished eating, Dr. Brief had commandeered the main lab, so to speak, and we got to work immediately.

Time flew past quickly, until it was almost lunch. The phone at my work station rang, almost sending me out of my seat.

“Hello.”

“Cell's on TV.” I recognized the voice as Yamcha's and ran from my desk to Trunks and Bulma across the room.

“Cell's on TV.” I repeated and we ran from the room back into the main house. Everyone was standing in the living room watching the TV intently as we entered.

“Greetings, I have a message for the planet Earth. My name is Cell and while most of you won't recognize this form, some of you may remember me as,” he voice changed to the raspy, high pitched voice of his imperfect form. “The monster of Nicky Town. I have achieved my perfect form and I must now find a way to test it. In order to do that I will be hosting a tournament. Let's call it The Cell Games. I invite all of Earth's fighters to join me in the ring nine days from now. I will fight all of you one on one and the last one standing will be the victor. There will of course be rules, if you land outside the ring or if you stay down for ten seconds, you're out. Oh, and I will try to avoid this, but if you die your turn is forfeit. So, please, join me in nine days at noon in area S .5 twenty eight miles Northeast of Eastern City. One last thing, just to give you an idea of what you're up against,” He put his hand out to the side and blasted a hole in the building. The ki blast finally dissipated about a mile outside the city. “See you there.” The TV went black and we all stood in the living room, silent for a long time.

“It's about time we head back to the lookout. Kakarrot and Gohan will be done soon.” Trunks, Vegeta, and I made it up to the lookout in record time. I was sitting on the edge looking down at the Earth with Trunks beside me when I heard Vegeta and Piccolo arguing.

“Fine, Namek, you may go next but I intend on using the rest of the days for myself.”

“That won't happen, Vegeta. After forty eight hours the entrance will disappear and you'll be locked in there forever.” Piccolo explained. Vegeta growled in aggravation.

“Fine, I will go in after you and then if Trunks wants to go back in he can do so after me.” Trunks turned to his father.

“Corbin and I will go in together.”