Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Sing No Songs ❯ Prisoner ( Chapter 12 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter twelve

The prisoner moved very little. Alone in his quarters, captain Asdef had been staring at him for nearly an hour. In all this time, he hadn't seen him move once from his sitting position by the wall. Perhaps he was sleeping.

He leaned closer, squinting, as if that might make him see the prisoner's features more clearly. The camera took in the entire part of the room, and the still figure was slightly blurry. He was relatively sure though, that the prisoner's eyes were wide open.

Asdef felt his stomach tighten into a knot, and he was aware that his mouth was half open in a mixture of breathless horror and breathless fascination.

He knew that he wasn't really required to look in on the prisoner. It wasn't duty that prompted him to turn on the screen again and again, and it certainly wasn't duty that made him wait until he was inside the privacy of his own quarters, hiding his actions like a thief.

Still, he wasn't the only one that was behaving differently when the prisoner was concerned. There was an inexplicable tension onboard. No one showed any satisfaction over their accomplishment, no boasting and no voices raised in speculation. There seemed to exist a silent agreement not to bring up the subject of the prisoner, as if mentioning his name might upset some sort of fragile balance. No one said it, but everyone could feel it.

They had captured a monster.

Asdef leaned back in his chair and sighed. The mission had been successful beyond belief. Vegeta was safely locked away. There was no need for fear, no need even to acknowledge his presence. Whatever happened next was in the hands of the Galaxy.

What was it then, that made him wait to turn on the screen until no one was around? Who was he hiding from? The Galaxy wouldn't care one way or the other, all that mattered was the results. The crew? They were loyal to the Galaxy, as he was. All they had to do right now was to serve as a ship of transportation, bringing the prisoner to the allotted destination. The details of conduct regarding their cargo wasn't a given, even though he felt that the proper thing was to pay no attention to him. But looking at him wasn't disobedience. If he would like to talk to him, that too wouldn't be disobedience. Who, after all, was going to stop him?

That's when he knew that he actually wanted to do it, knew when he heard himself justify it in his own mind. He wanted to go down there and talk to the prisoner, even though it would have been so easy not to. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to accomplish. Nothing, perhaps. Perhaps he was just giving in to this unexplainable fascination; perhaps he wanted a closer look.

He couldn't remember the last time he had done something this impulsive. The metallic sound of his footsteps echoed in his ears as he walked towards the secured wing. Compared to the rest of the ship, those corridors were dark and narrow, and as he had expected, they were all empty. Again he felt like a thief, a liar, doing something that he might find very hard to explain if he was questioned.

The trust of the Galaxy was something that it took a long time to gain, and it could all be lost in an instant. When the Readers had given him this ship, he had taken it as a sign that all his years of spotless service had not passed unnoticed. Since then he had only continued to prove his complete loyalty towards the Galaxy, even though they had been given nothing but low priority routine missions. Until now, that was.

He paused as he rounded a corner and saw the corridor in front of him shrouded in absolute darkness. With fumbling fingers he touched a switch on the wall, and thin streaks of light appeared along the roof. He continued walking, the sound of his footsteps strange and loud.

He well remembered Vegeta's words: You are the ship they send, expecting everyone in it to die.

It was true, they had been expected to die, and to do it willingly. They had been thrust into the game board to be sacrificed, sacrificed for the sake of the future. By all accounts it was a great privilege to be trusted to such an extent. And even though he feared death, even though they all feared death, they had still been mindful of this privilege.

A small smile grazed his lips. It felt stiff and unnatural; he didn't smile very often.

They had been ready to die, but this time death had been cheated. The pawn was still alive.

He stopped when the corridor came to an abrupt end and he stood in front of a thick, unadorned door. He was here, much sooner then he had been ready for. Once he opened that door, he would come face to face with Vegeta.

What then? What could he possibly say? Nothing was demanded of him in matters of preparation of explanation.

Perhaps the prisoner had some questions. He was flooded with relief. Right. Of course. He could answer questions about the Law. There must be many things that the prisoner wanted to know.

With sudden resolve, he turned the large handle of the door. A deep clang could be heard as the heavy locking mechanism unbolted, and he was distantly thankful for the warning the noise would give to the prisoner. He didn't like the idea of barging in on him completely unannounced.

The massive door swung open.

He must have steeled himself for some sort of aggressive reaction, because he was stunned when Vegeta merely lifted his eyes to look at him for a moment, and then expressionlessly looked away, as if his presence was of no consequence.

Asdef just stood there, staring at the prisoner sitting on the other side of the glass wall. He had not, after all, been prepared for the sheer presence of the other man. He had not expected his heart to miss a beat, had not expected this ache in his chest. A weird thought coursed through his mind: It's like we have harnessed a supernova.

“What do you want?” Vegeta's voice was low, disinterested. “Have you come to poke me with a stick?”

“What?” Asdef said, a hushed, disbelieving whisper.

“Never mind.” Vegeta turned his head to face him. He briefly showed his teeth in a subdued smile that had nothing to do with mirth.

“R-right.” A chill ran down his back. He started to wish that he hadn't come down here. Belatedly he registered the question. What did he want? “I'm here to explain your situation. If there's anything you like to ask?”

Silence. Asdef took a deep breath and felt some of his tension leave him. He took a few steps forward, reducing the distance to the prisoner. After only a second of hesitation, he lowered himself down on the floor, his back against the wall. Sitting side by side, they were only separated by the thin sheen of glass that split the room in two.

“Here's the situation,” the captain began, assuming, with some difficulty, a detached, business-like manner. “You are now a prisoner of the Galaxy. As a former soldier of Frieza you fall within a certain section of the Law. The Law will determine...”

“Did you wait for her to die?”

“Excuse me?” Asdef abruptly turned his head towards the prisoner.

Vegeta met his eyes thought the glass and spoke very clearly. “Did you wait for her to die?”

“No. That is - no, not exactly.” He realized just how close he was sitting to the prisoner. The dark gaze burned him through the glass, and he unconsciously moved further away. “It was a balance act. I thought it tactical to... But, you see, if it isn't a question of ongoing warfare the directives says to announce our purpose right away, so we had little choice in the matter.”

“You knew.” It was flatly spoken, with a calm that conveyed absolute certainty.

“When we entered the planet's atmosphere we did not know where you were. We were prepared to be attacked, but...” Vegeta slammed his hand against the glass, and Asdef started violently at the unexpected interruption.

“You knew about her.” This time Vegeta's words were spoken with an intensity that made the captain turn away, breaking their close eye contact with something like self-preservation.

“Yes,” he said levelly. Inside he was trembling, more from a strange sense of awe then from actual apprehension. “Our equipment allows us to listen in on all transmissions, and we're also, although poorly, able to single out conversations that aren't enhanced by any kind of communication device.” He cleared his throat and continued, feeling like he was treading too close to uncharted territory. “Once the upflare of ki had given us your location, it was a fairly easy matter to... determine the situation.”

He dared a glance to the side, and was vaguely relieved to see that Vegeta had turned away, staring straight ahead as he had done before. The silence stretched out, became more and more noticeable.

Her, he had said. As if there could be no question of who he was referring to.

Asdef shifted uneasily on the hard floor. It occurred to him that this was nothing he wanted to talk about. He wasn't sure exactly what Vegeta's relationship had been with the dying woman, and neither did he want to know.

“Should I tell you where we're going?” The question was harsh and abrupt, some part of him actually offended that the prisoner hadn't asked yet.

“Very well.” Vegeta's voice held no inflection.

“We're heading for Node City Dania. It's the closest of the node cities.” Asdef paused. “Do you know where that is?”

No reply.

“Dania was severely scourged under Frieza, and then again during the wars that followed. I doubt any of the original inhabitants are still alive. The planet has became something of a refuge for those that have nowhere else to go.”

Some of them might actually remember you personally.

The thought was sobering. It put everything in perspective.

“Do you see that?” Asdef pointed at one of the far corners, where a tiny red light blinked. Vegeta lifted his head and his eyes followed the direction he had indicated. “It's a camera. The Galaxy is letting everyone know of your... well, capture, as it is.”

“You're saying...?” Vegeta stared at the speck of light, revealing just the slightest bit of discomfort, before he looked away. He turned his eyes straight ahead again and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yes.” The captain felt a minuscule twinge of triumph. “I told you that your penalty was a public matter. The Galaxy is broadcasting information on who you are and what you did for Frieza. They will learn the meaning of the metal around your neck. Those that so wishes will, if possible, be allowed transportation to Node City Dania.”

“And what, pray tell, will happen once we arrive?”

“Well,” Asdef said slowly, vaguely taken aback by the sarcasm. “Perhaps they will transfer you to the surface, but I rather suspect they will let you remain here on the ship. Better security.”

“Oh yeah? Wouldn't that nullify the reason of going to Dania?”

“Well no, not as such. At special request the people on Dania will be allowed to come aboard the ship, a limited number at a time.

“So essentially,” Vegeta said grittily. “They will come here, in orderly groups, to stare at me while I die?”

“It's an unusual case!” There hadn't really been any accusation in Vegeta's voice, but the captain suddenly felt highly defensive. “We all have to make sacrifices for the Law.”

Vegeta slowly turned towards the captain, giving him a long, cool glance.

“You don't...” Asdef abruptly got to his feet and took a few steps across the room. Stopping by the door, he looked back at the prisoner. “I'm telling you the Law. Nothing is greater then the Law. Through it the Galaxy has brought an era of peace, an end to war!”

Asdef reached for the door handle, noticing that his hand was trembling slightly. “Hah,” he breathed, amazed by his own outburst, by the passion that had taken a hold on him. He looked at the prisoner, and spoke almost serenely. “Never again will whole populaces be slaughtered in the name of mindless conquest.”

Time to leave. He pushed the door open, a gust of air from the empty corridor gentle stroking his face. It was true, he reflected. The Law had made it all worthwhile.

“Is there... anything I can do for you?”

The question was more of an afterthought, and it struck him that Vegeta might consider it as mockery. What was there after all, that he could do? But the self-reliance had made him feel generous, and he wanted to leave on a more conciliatory note, much like he had wanted to enter the room in a civil manner. He did not expect a reply, and he nearly missed it as he stepped out through the door.

“I'm cold.”

The words were as insubstantial as the breeze on his face.

“What did you say?”

A brief pause before Vegeta spoke again, his drifting voice hardly catching the captain's ears. “I'm accustomed to higher temperatures.”

He couldn't believe that they hadn't thought about that. Must be because they had done their best to forget he was there at all. For being warm-blooded, their own species was unusually adapted to low temperatures. Looking across the room at the prisoner, he could see a hint of white mist in his exhalation, a clear sign of the truth in his statement.

“I'll see to it,” Asdef said. Something made him add, “I'm sorry.”

He waited, but the prisoner didn't seem to have anything more to add. So he took the last step into the corridor, letting the door fall shut. He turned the lock, felt the movement of the heavy machinery echoing through his hands. Felt that this was too big, too big for him to handle alone. Then he thought that that was vanity. He wasn't doing anything, all he did was to serve as a tool for the Galaxy, nothing else.

Besides, all that was left to do now was to wait. It would be over soon enough.