Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Free My Soul ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I don't own or profit from Dragon Ball Z.

 

Chapter Eight

Lyedra squinted into the haze of smoke. A huge form, dark and sturdy against the wispy gray, thundered, and the ground trembled. The smoke cleared, and Lyedra could see hard, blue eyes beneath a protective face plate. The mechanoid Bulma had climbed into was bulky, but agile enough to cover rough terrain while hunting dragon balls. It had enough strength to smash large boulders, and an armored exoskeleton that could withstand burning lava or the airless vacuum of space.

“A toy can't defeat me.” Lyedra spat through thin, perfectly pink lips.

“I don't make toys.”

The metallic plates on her arm slid back, forming the muzzle of a machine gun. Bulma pulled her index finger back, and a spray of bullets chased Lyedra as she dove for cover. Bulma smiled. A warrior, who dodged bullets, was a warrior weak enough to be afraid of them. She swept away the plush lounge chair Lyedra dove behind, smirking when it hit the wall, and exploded into kindling.

Her eyes narrowed at the empty space behind the chair. She quickly scanned the room, but saw only furniture in disarray. From outside she could hear muffled shouts, and the sound of rock collapsing as the two warriors fought their way out of the cavern. Bulma staggered under a blow that nearly drove her to her knees. She spun around, swinging at empty air. Her virtual screen showed only minimal damage to the exo-suit, but if she was knocked over she would be as helpless as a turtle on its back.

Another blow struck her from behind. Bulma shot out an arm to brace herself, her fist punching through the dry wall. Balanced she scanned the room, still seeing no movement.

“Just like an idiot man. You think strength will win the day.”

Lyedra's laughter faded off to the right, but when Bulma looked all she saw was the open kitchen with a fridge too small to hide in.

“No one calls me stupid,” Bulma hissed into her headset. Her fingertips danced over the keypad inside her metallic glove. A geometrical map of the room overlaid her face mask. She looked for heat signatures, for anything moving, anything warm. Frowning, Bulma widened the spectrum looking for cold spots. A slither of blue darted behind her. Bulma countered, spinning around. She flailed, coming into contact with something solid. She closed her fists, gripping a soft fleshy body between her metal hands. It squirmed hard, almost slipping away. Bulma threw the invisible weight against the wall, cracking the plaster. White drywall dust sprinkled to the ground, displacing itself over a heap on the floor.

Lyedra sprang up and sprinted off before Bulma could catch her. A fast flush of pink flooded into her features making her visible once again.

“I'm going to kill you.” Her tongue flickered past her lips. “You and the tiny warm-body I taste in the air.”

Bulma's guts dropped out from under her. She was filled with ice cold fear. She had issued protocol twelve to NANA before the android had whisked off Bunny. They should by safe by now, outside of the cave, by way of a hidden tunnel out the backside of the house. Reassured with the knowledge, rage followed on the heels of terror, burning it away, and leaving behind killing calculation.

“I was going to let you live.”

Bullets sprayed the walls, leaving fist-sized holes. Lyedra ran, only milliseconds ahead of the barrage. Leading her, Bulma launched a concussion grenade. Still outpacing the bullets, Lyedra ran right into the blast. The wave flung her across the room, flipping her upside down as she hit the wall and slumped to the ground.

With heavy steps, Bulma came to stand over Lyedra. The woman's normally pink features were pale next to the bright trickles of blood from her mouth and ears. Though the blast gave the woman's insides a good shake, Bulma had no doubt she was still alive. The prospect of killing a helpless thing, no matter how evil, stuttered Bulma's heart. She clicked the release button, sliding from her seat as the front of the mechanoid lifted to allow her exit. From her hip pack she pulled out a pair of titanium cuffs. She knew they would be strong enough to hold the woman collapsed at her feet. She flipped Lyedra on her belly, wrestling her arms behind her to secure her wrists.

Standing straight, Bulma looked over the shambles that was once her home. For the briefest moments the Japanese style abode had made her feel connected with her home; as if Earth had never been destroyed; as if her parents were only a phone call away. She had tucked Bunny into bed next to her at night, and told her of all the wonderful things she would have once Earth was restored. Grandma's fabulous lemon cookies, Grandpa's hugs. All those glorious things would be hers once Mommy made her wish. This hut had been Bulma's shelter against the reality of the universe. It had even protected her from Vegeta. In-between these walls she could pretend that he didn't exist. That Bunny was a product of Immaculate Conception. She could pretend that she had never fallen in love with a man whose greater love had been for power.

Now her shelter was shattered apart. Her child whisked away to be protected by a super human android, but never to be loved by it. Bulma had to stop hiding in her memories. She had to stop pining for a man who may or may not love her. She needed to reach down deep, and find the famous Bulma Briefs bravery, because her baby needed her to come through for her now. If Bulma failed then Bunny would never taste a lemon cookie, or smell nicotine-tinged love.

Bulma scooped up the two fallen dragon balls, adding them to her collection compressed inside a capsule. She secured her laser pistols to her hip, walking out the ragged hole that used to be her door, and nearly fell on her face.

She righted herself, looking down at the little green boy who had been cowering away from danger.

“Oh, my. I had forgotten all about you.”

The little boy shrunk down, trying to hide from her in the shadows. Blue blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and his white robes were stained with dark smudges. She crouched down next to him, her face etched in pain when she saw how badly he had been beaten.

“It's okay. I won't hurt you. I'm a good guy.”

The boy sniffed rubbing his eyes across his robes leaving a smear of blue behind.

“Are you hungry?” She pulled out a dried ration bar. “It tastes pretty awful, but its food.”

The boy peaked up at her shyly, and shook his head.

Bulma snapped her fingers and scrambled up. “Darn, I can be so stupid sometimes.” She went inside, quickly returning with a tall glass of water and a damp wash cloth.

The boy took the water eagerly, gulping it down. Bulma took back the empty glass, smiling at him. He returned it tentatively.

She leaned forward slowly, dabbing the corner of his mouth with the cloth. “My name is Bulma. What's yours?”

“Dende.”

She finished wiping the blood from his face, her lips pressed tight at the sight of the bruises she found underneath.

“So what did those bastards want with you?”

“I know how to summon Porunga, the Eternal Dragon.”

“I see,” Bulma replied solemnly.

In the distance, there was an enraged scream that shook the world around them. A stalactite lost its grip on the ceiling, and crashed down mere feet from them. Bulma jumped up, grabbing the boy by the arm, and hauled him out of the cave to safety.

Outside the world was wreaked. It no longer was a flat paradise where the air was so still that the grass didn't even move. The serenity was broken by battle cries, and sonic blows that ripped mountains apart.

Dread filled Bulma when she saw the destruction all around. Forgetting about the boy, she scrabbled to the top of a nearby mound, disregarding the dirt that wedged itself underneath her nails. The valley below her was slashed with burnt gullies and dotted by burst boulders.

Vegeta was on his knees, blood streaming from his scalp and down his face. His clothes were hanging in shreds from his body, and Bulma could see the gleam of sweat and blood on his back and chest. Cooler stood over him, laughing.

“No! Vegeta.” She put a trembling hand over her mouth. She didn't have to be a child of war to understand what was going on. Vegeta wasn't strong enough to defeat Cooler. He wasn't strong enough to keep his position as ruler. He wasn't strong enough to keep his life.

“He's one of the good guys. We should save him.”

Bulma startled at the small voice next to her.

“Good guys?”

The boy looked away shyly. “He hasn't hurt anyone. Guru says he'd make a great ruler, but that is not the path of his light.”

“His light?”

The young boy looked at her with eyes that seemed much older than they should. His gaze was intense, and she had to turn away, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. The boy slid back down the hill. Bulma followed him without a sound.