Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Duke ❯ Rigmarole ( Chapter 41 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: okieday17 
When trying to catch a Russian prince offguard, one tends to do a lot of running around
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.17.2015 | Pages: 3 | Words: 8.7K | Visits: 304 | Status: Work In Progress
When trying to catch a Russian prince offguard, one tends to do a lot of running around
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.17.2015 | Pages: 3 | Words: 8.7K | Visits: 304 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. But if I did own DBZ...AUs everywhere. Fucking everywhere. One day they would be pulled into the middle ages, the next the far future. Aw yiss.
Warnings: Cussing. Violence. Blood.
A/N: Anyone have questions on the original Colt Patterson? Because I can certainly answer them now.... First off, I apologize for the long delay. I can't believe it's the middle of April anymore than I can believe it's the year 2015. The future is now!
For all of you who review, and leave your love--I continue this story for you. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Kattastropi, I hope you're feeling better, and thank you for dealing with me!
Chapter Forty: Rigmarole
Vegeta was glad he had ever taken the time to memorize the tunnels that ran throughout and underneath Westminster--it was not standard issue for spies, but Vegeta had forced himself to memorize where the secret passages led, where the secret latches were, and which ways were complete wastes of time. And fuck, was he glad he did, as he ran headfirst back into the cabinet, not even bothering to relight the torch (knowing full well that Nappa would be behind him doing so) as he ran halfway back down the stairs they had just snuck up, taking the very first left he could. He paused just long enough to pull on the right sconce twice before pulling the left one once, the seeming wall before him cracking open.
The full sprint Vegeta had taken hardly left him winded as he pushed open the cracked door, revealing yet another secret entrance. This one led to the actual room the House of Lords met in, a room and layout Vegeta knew like the back of his hand--on account of his having a high ranking seat here. But he did not waste time to think about that, only thanking Kami it was empty before he continued his mad sprint, running through the room and into the hallway. He ran back up the stairs in the hall, back towards the hallway they had just been on the other side of, coming upon what he assumed was the British Blockade--about twenty-five soldiers, and ten high ranking men, standing sentry in the hall, their guns drawn and facing the closed room of the cabinet. Vegeta ignored the looks he got as he pushed through, his eyes swiveling madly for Basil.
He did not want to push his way to the front--he had no doubt Dodoria would recognize him right away, and Vegeta still wanted the element of surprise on his hands when he finally confronted Frieza. Instead he stood about two rows back from where he finally saw Basil, who was chatting in hushed tones to the general who had been talking to Dodoria and the 'King,' and let out a low whistle the men had used to recognize each other before. Basil instantly froze, turning, his eyes lighting when he caught sight of Vegeta. Vegeta put a finger to his lips, and then pointed back, so that they could speak with the wall of soldiers blocking them.
Vegeta hurried back down the stairs (paranoid that Dodoria would be able to see his instantly recognizable hair over the other soldiers), Nappa and Kakarrot standing there, waiting for him. The pair of men only drew behind him, facing Basil as he approached with the commander of all of the British fighting services. Both men looked at him grimly, Basil's eyes raised as he took in Vegeta's dirt and soot covered self (and companions), before he spoke, "Your Grace. When did you arrive? I had men posted so that I would know the second you were here."
Vegeta waved his hand, dismissing the man's questions as he quickly told him, "No time to explain. Just know that we entered through the underground docks--where there was a boat full of Russian soldiers waiting." Basil's eyes grew large, but Vegeta continued knowing time was of the essence here, "We took care of them though. The medieval defenses were still there--but I am worried that Frieza will soon learn that his hidden army is gone. We must strike now."
Basil frowned, and the general who had come with him, the head of the British military, finally spoke, "We cannot Your Grace. They are holding the King hostage. They are saying that he has signed all of their demands and that we are to surrender."
Vegeta only shook his head, "That is not the King. We were just in his office--the real King is dead, sitting at his desk. Frieza is manipulating all of you."
Basil turned to Vegeta's companions then, his face set in stone as he only asked, "Is this true?"
Nappa and Kakarrot both spoke at once, "Aye," "Yes," and Basil and the General both turned back towards Vegeta.
"We need to rush them, then. The next time they open the door--."
Vegeta shook his head, "No. I still want to try and catch them by surprise. They think they have the upper hand here, they think that we don't know about the King or the army of men hiding underneath Westminster--if we rush them, Frieza could run. We know he is quite adept at hiding, as our intelligence says he has been in London for months now. The last thing we want to do is lose sight of him."
Basil sighed, nodding, looking to his companion, "The Duke is right. The last thing we want is for Frieza to run again." He turned back to Vegeta, "What do you suggest we do, then?"
Vegeta frowned, a plan forming as he spoke, "I will take only your five best men--but people that Dodoria will not notice as missing the next time he speaks to you. We shall go in the way we just came--the eight of us should be able to get in no problem and assess the situation. While we engage Frieza and his men--well, you should hear the fighting and be able to sneak around to the other side, where the Cabinet waiting chamber's are, and we can corner them."
"That should work." The General rubbed his chin as he spoke, the gleam of success already in his eyes.
Vegeta did not allow himself to get cocky though, only pushing for more about the situation, "Do you have any idea how many men are in there with Frieza?"
Basil was the one who shook his head this time, a hint of frustration in the usually unflappable man's shoulders. Seemed all it took to have his feathers ruffled was...well, the death of the King at the hand's of England's worst enemy. "We have only seen the fat one and the imposter King." Basil stopped for a beat, adding (at seeing Vegeta's frown), "But your plan could really work." He turned to the general and commanded, "Go grab your five best men, telling them to meet Vegeta at the tapestry in the House of Lords chambers." Basil turned back to Vegeta, nodding, "We shall wait for your signal to attack--we need to catch Frieza before he realizes that he has been cornered."
Vegeta turned, ready to head back to the secret entrance, but the General placed a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention, "Your Grace, it is imperative that while we attack, we keep Frieza alive. You may kill everyone else, but if you kill him, we are asking for all out war with the Russians." He paused and sighed, as if he imagined the grim future that awaited them if the Russian Prince was slain, "That is something we all want to avoid, yes?"
Vegeta felt a pulse in his temple jump at that order, but he only replied with the words that had been beat into him from his days in the military, "Yes, Sir." His personal vendetta did not have to be mentioned here, though he knew that Basil knew about it--but the man kept silent. Vegeta did not ponder that fact, knowing that what mattered most here was not his personal feelings towards Frieza, but rather surprising Frieza.
Though, Vegeta would be lying, if he said that in that moment the beast he had felt when fighting Kakarrot for Bulma's hand did not stir awake. That is--it did not set fire to his blood--but his very being, demanding that he tear Frieza's head from his body before the day was through.
~~&~~
Frieza sat in the largest chair in the room, his feet kicked up on the table as he sipped from the cup of tea he was holding, wishing it was something stronger. He giggled as the 'King' and Dodoria went back out for another round of negotiations, knowing that once he got the head of the Military to surrender--well the kingdom was as good as his. This might be taking a bit longer than he had expected, what with all of their stammering, and delaying, but all in all the British were being very accommodating by falling right in line with his plans. He almost wished they were being just a bit more disagreeable so he would have reason to call on his army that was still waiting for him below. Or kill some more of the sniveling advisors. Well, the advisors he had not already killed in front of the military men that was.
Hmmm, in fact, maybe he should kill another one to show that they were not joking. Or better yet--maybe he would call up the waiting men right now. He was growing bored with all of the talking, and what better way to end it, then to have his men run up the stairs behind the small number of men outside the cabinet room, forcing them to surrender. Maybe that would then flush out the other British spies and soldiers that the military was sure to have waiting for their signal. Frieza was bored with this diplomatic way of settling things--he wanted there to be bloodshed and he wanted to be the one to do it.
Frieza moved his legs, standing as he called over to one of his men. The soldier came to him right away, and Frieza flicked his hands, pointing to the door that had led them in here, the door that led to the secret entrance inside of the obnoxious (and rather obvious) cabinet, "Go downstairs. Tell the men they are needed--I am sick of waiting for these British to commit to anything." When Dodoria turned to him, surprise in his eyes, Frieza only shrugged, trying to be truthful as he admitted, "The longer we wait, the more we tempt fate in these men recognizing that man as someone other than their king. The last thing we want is for them to think their only option is attack." He giggled then, smirking, "Well, not until I am ready to attack them, that is."
Dodoria only smiled at that, the soldier who had still been standing there, saluting as he disappeared through the door on the other side of the room. Frieza stared after him for a moment, wondering how the former King William's body was doing in there. He wondered, briefly, if it had atrophied just yet.
Frieza giggled again at that thought, watching the door, as if waiting to see the soldier's charging up the stairs. He could not wait to see his men flowing up from the House of Lords, cornering the top British men in the country in a hallway where they were sure to be ambushed. He had taken Zarbon's route to get here--but there was going to be a bloodbath, or else Frieza would feel like this would be a hollow victory.
There was a noise from the King's office, though, that drew not only his, but everyone in the room's attention as the door opened again, the dead body of the man he had just sent in there sailing back into the room. Frieza blinked as he made eye contact with the felled body of his underling, confusion marring his face as he took the man's slashed throat in, before blinking slowly and looking back up.
There, in front of about six or seven other men stood a tall, giant brute of a man, who was wiping his blade clean as he grinned at the room in general. Frieza tilted his head in confusion until the man stepped to the side, revealing the Duke of Vegetasei, standing there with fury and death in his eyes as he locked eyes with Frieza.
Frieza only felt a delicious shiver of anticipation trill through his body, and a small smile creep onto his face as he said, "Oh goody. I was wondering when you would arrive."
~~&~~
The second Nappa had moved aside, allowing Vegeta full access to the room, he had caught Frieza's eye, as if drawn there by a magnet. Vegeta had only had a half second to hear him mutter something to himself, had only half a second to feel as if victory was at hand--before--for the second time that day, Nappa had screamed, "DIVE!" While he also grabbed the back of Vegeta's jacket, once again pulling Vegeta down, and out of the way of the several bullets that had been fired at them the second the soldiers around Frieza had realized the men who had entered the room were not more Russian soldiers.
The rest of the army men with Vegeta and Nappa, as well as Kakarrot, who were not mesmerized by the realization of a very long standing grudge in front of them had turned the tables closest to them on their sides the second they entered the rooms. The heavy wooden tables served as excellent makeshift shields as the twenty or so soldiers that Frieza had in here with him began to shoot at them.
Wood exploded around them, but the heavy tables, and the quick reflexes of the men with them had saved their lives. Vegeta, not for the first time, thanked his lucky stars for Nappa. The man might not be the smartest--but when it came down to being in the line of fire, that man had the reflexes of a cat. Really, he was indispensable. Especially as he looked at Vegeta, frowning as he said, "Those men don't have muskets--they have revolvers."
Vegeta, and the soldiers around him all cursed at that, Kakarrot only frowning. If Nappa was correct, and Vegeta knew he was (reflexes of a cat and observant to a fault), then unlike the guards downstairs, these men were equipped with the extremely new Colt Patterson revolvers--so named because unlike muskets, the barrel revolved, giving the owner five shots versus just one. Which meant that they were going to keep shooting at them, no need to take more than a few seconds to reload. Even though the shots were at close range, the table was thick enough that it would protect them--but if they did not need to reload, the men would come around the side of the room and shoot them point blank. Vegeta wasted no time in pulling out his own pistol from inside his jacket, glad to see the men around him similarly equipped as they poked their heads back over, returning fire, aiming for the soldiers.
Vegeta heard the crash of the tables on the other side of the room, knowing that the Russian soldiers were now in a similar position as they were. The closest soldier to them looked at Vegeta, "Your grace, pardon my French, but how the fuck do Russian soldiers find themselves equipped with an American gun?"
Kakarrot who had been oddly silent as they ducked for cover, looked contemplative before he smiled as all of the guns that had been shooting at them stopped at the same time, silence descending. Kakarrot used the opportunity to shoot up over the tables, looking at the guns and the Russian's for a moment, before popping back down, "I'd know those guns anywhere! That's a Colt Paterson." Kakarrot counted silently, before looking back at the rest of the men, "They'll start shooting again in five...four...three," Kakarrot's last two finger's went down--and the shooting started again.
Vegeta stared at him in amazement, "How the fuck did you know that?"
Kakarrot had the most Vegetasei like smirk on his face as he spoke, "My dad sold a bunch of factories to this weapons company in America, run by...well someone named Colt, I know that for sure." Kakarrot stopped for a second, before the smirk turned into one of his idiotic grins, "I was with my dad as he toured the factories, as he helped Mr. Colt with his design flaw--the very flaw we just hard. These Russian's have the older models!" At seeing no spark of recognition in any of the men's eyes, Kakarrot sighed, the grin dropping, before he explained, "Before Mr. Colt asked for my father's help with design, you used to have to basically take apart the whole thing to reload them. You can't just press the loading level on these like we can on ours. Make them shoot three more times, and we can attack when they are reloading!"
Vegeta stared at his cousin, once again amazed by the fount of information he had been today, before he asked out of pure curiosity, "How do you think they got those weapons?"
Kakarrot shrugged in earnest at this. "I don't know. When dad found out that Mr. Colt planned to sell weapons to people like the Russian's, he broke off all ties with the company. My guess? He either sold them the older models, or he had begun selling to the Russian's long before my father got involved."
Vegeta looked at the soldiers around him, seeing them digest this new information before they went back to shooting, trying to draw out the desired three more shots. Vegeta used the opportunity of the volleying fire to peak over the tables, seeing the strewn bodies of the British cabinet about--though interestingly enough none of them had bullet holes in them. These men were stiff, the stench of death and decay already on them--whatever had just happened, these men had long been dead. Probably as long as the King, if Vegeta had to guess. Vegeta quickly tried to observe the people on the other side, but they were all ducked under tables, besides the very few number of men in the cabinet who were still alive-- who huddled in the corner looking beyond terrified. Whether from the gunfire, or from Frieza himself was anyone's guess.
There was another torrent of shots from the Russian's, and Vegeta ducked back down, though something caught in his vision, even as he ducked. The door opposite the one they had entered through, had it's door ajar--and Vegeta was afraid he had seen the heels of Frieza and a few of his biggest soldiers go with them through those doors.
Vegeta peaked up again when the gunfire died down (only one more needed shot!), shooting back, but confirming his suspicions as he saw the door was in fact ajar--and that man who had long since dominated his focus, Frieza, was no where to be seen. He tried to rise, but Nappa yanked him down again as more shots came. Vegeta landed with a crash, cursing himself under his breath as he realized they had gotten themselves into a sort of stalemate, even as the soldier's around him sprang into position to start moving around the room. Even if the Russian's needed more time to reload then he and his men did, they would be smart enough to not all shoot at the same exact time. He was sure that as his men crept closer they would find that half of the soldiers still had bullets. Dammit! He did not want to spend the rest of the day locked in a standoff, shooting guns back and forth with the Russian army.
This was not a fight--the bloodthirsty thrill of running your sword through another man, or the actual battle of strength Vegeta prided himself on--it was a tactical fight. Vegeta would bet all of his titles and honorifics that Frieza was using this as a distraction to escape--and Vegeta would let hell freeze over before he let the slippery lizard of a man escape his clutches. There were more than enough Russian soldiers to overpower the eight men on this side of the room--but they were buying Frieza time, waiting until he was long gone before they would actually engage with the men. No need to risk one of them slipping through their defenses when guns would keep them at bay.
Vegeta quickly motioned to the only man without a gun, Kakarrot, and spoke in a low voice as the men around them poked up and down, shooting, ducking as shots were returned. Vegeta ignored them as he earnestly told his cousin, "Frieza is trying to escape through the other secret staircase on the other side of this room--it leads to tunnels underneath the city. We need to go after him before he disappears back into the city."
Kakarrot's eyes glinted like black onyx, Vegeta seeing the call of battle and a man who craved hand-to-hand combat like he did, glinting back in answer. He never felt closer to his cousin, especially as he said, "Anything you need me to do, I am here."
Vegeta felt the weight of those words, trusting in them, trusting in his cousin, before he turned back to the soldier to his left. "We are going back into the hallway the way we came--provide cover for us, and I will have the rest of the men outside breaking this door down and stopping this."
The soldier nodded, and Vegeta motioned for Nappa and Kakarrot to stay crouched low as they followed him back into the room. Vegeta heard gunfire, but it burst harmlessly against the wood of the doorframe above their heads--and just as quickly he heard the British soldiers shoot back, the groan of a man testament enough that someone had been hit. Whether British or Russian though, Vegeta did not know as he only continued through the King's office.
Ignoring the dead body of the King, Vegeta wasted no time in going through the main door in the office for the first time that day, running into the corridor with the two men at his back as he wasted just enough time to shout, "Frieza is getting away--your men are stuck in the cabinet room in a standoff with the Russian soldiers left behind. If you enter from behind you should be able to surprise them."
Vegeta did not wait for a reaction, instead heading towards the other side of the cabinet room, hearing the heavy footsteps of British soldiers from behind him as they entered the room on the other side, the gunshots ringing loud and clear in the room just beyond the door. Vegeta turned toward the cabinet, similar to the one in the King's office that housed the secret tunnel and stairs that led to the tunnels underneath Westminster, ready to charge down them.
"Vegeta!" Hearing his name, he stopped though, seeing that Kakarrot and Nappa were quick on his heels. It was not them who called him though--but rather Basil, who held out a gold plated naval officer's sword, "I believe you need this, sir."
Vegeta did not waste time; instead taking the weapon that was as familiar to him as breathing was. His time in the Royal Navy had culminated in him receiving this weapon when he had received his first officered rank at the age of twenty. The sword had stayed by his side throughout the rest of his time in the navy--until Frieza had stripped it from him when he had so unnecessarily surrendered. It had never been returned to him. If Vegeta were a more sentimental man, there would have been something poetic in this moment. But he was practical, and time was of the essence--and he knew this was not his exact weapon that had been stripped from him.
But it sure felt like it was.
Basil was not done talking yet, his eyes locked with Vegeta's even as British soldiers began to stream in through door behind them, Russian shouts and gunfire loud as he said, "Remember. Frieza is to be brought back alive." He turned to go, and Vegeta smirked bitterly at the second reminder he had that day to bring Frieza back alive. He did not have to be reminded what would happen if he succeeded in killing Frieza--his life was forfeit, to be handed over to the Russian's in reparation for what he had done to Frieza.
As Vegeta turned down the stairs, the other men close on his heels, Nappa already holding a lit torch (a new talent of his that was, always having a lit torch, but not one that Vegeta was not going to take for granted) holding a revolver in one hand, and the sword in his other, he thought about what that meant, and why it bothered him to be reminded so. He always knew it was going to end with his life being taken from him--whether by Frieza, or his own government for the murder of a monarch, but to be reminded so, now, well it got to him. It should not have gotten to him. Before Vegeta would have been more than willing to have his life taken if it meant Frieza was dead--but now....
That blasted woman, his Kamiforsaken wife, her words entered his mind, as did a picture of her face this morning as she had said goodbye to him. Her face--and her stupid word's about how she stupidly loved him, and how the stupid baby would stupidly depend on stupid, undependable him. Fuck.
Well he knew what he had to do, right now, as he was running down the stairs with Nappa and Kakarrot on his heels--he would have to forget her words. He needed to do this--he needed to at least chase after Frieza, to fight him, or he would never forgive himself. He would be letting himself down as well as the oath he had made. And that oath meant everything to him. It was the only thing that had kept him afloat when he himself had returned from Russia and it had been the only thing fueling him after Tarble's body had been returned to him, despite having paid the ransom to have him returned alive.
The torch that Nappa was holding flickered as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the men realizing they were directly under a vent that led to the surface that let in not only fresh air, but light to see the paths in front of them. Vegeta cursed as he felt the fresh air on his face, "Fuck!" That vent meant that they were now in the cavernous and twisting tunnels that ran under Westminster and all of London.
They were fucking screwed.
Vegeta put a hand up, and the two men behind him slowed to his pace, walking in the caverns, their footsteps and the occasional drip from the roof to the ground of the tunnel their only accompaniment. The tunnels were deadly quiet, and it was only when they reached a fork that Vegeta looked back to the two men following him. He made an executive decision then, turning to Nappa, "You go right, you know the tunnels under London like the back of your hand. If you see him, do not engage--come back and get us. If you find no sign of them in five minutes, return this way. I think Frieza is more likely to try and escape through the way he came in."
Nappa only nodded, handing the almost unnecessary torch to Vegeta, taking off at a jog that had his footsteps echoing around the tunnels. Vegeta did not even both to chide him for not being stealthy, as the tunnels were vast--speed was more important than stealth at this time. Once he disappeared, Vegeta turned back to Kakarrot, who stood at the ready, "Come on--this way leads back under the House of Lords, and connects with the docks underneath where we found those boats. I am willing to bet Frieza is trying to reconnect with the soldiers we already eliminated."
Kakarrot, to his credit, only slightly winced at the reminder of what they had done already to the supposed to be waiting Russian soldiers, but he wasted no time in steeling himself, answering, "Then that is the way we should go. Frieza, from my very brief understanding of him is an extremely smart warrior."
Vegeta wished he could have said otherwise, but he knew it was not untrue. So instead he turned on his heel and began to run.
They took the twists and turns that would lead them under the heart of Westminster, Vegeta dead set on reaching those docks before Frieza could. Though there were no ships waiting for him there, that did not mean the men could not climb into London street traffic, and blend in, disappearing in broad daylight. Even dressed as soldiers, Londoners were used to all sorts of people--it would take the second coming of Kami to really capture their attention. And even then they would probably only look for a second before returning to their normally scheduled day.
It was as they approached the catacombs directly underneath the middle of Westminster that they finally heard voices, and Vegeta put a hand out, freezing Kakarrot before he rounded a corner at the speed they were currently running at. The younger man stopped immediately, barely tapping Vegeta's hand as they came to a complete stop at the edge of the mouth of the tunnel where Vegeta had heard the voices. Vegeta waited a moment, holding his breath, listening, noting that the Russian they were speaking, and the scraping of something heavy against the floor had covered their approaching footsteps.
Vegeta was left with a dilemma at that moment as he stood, just listening. He had yet to peak around to see how many soldiers were truly around the corner, so he did not know what in the hell he was facing. So the question now was, did he wait for Nappa to catch up to them or send Kakarrot back to go get him for backup and leave himself alone until the men returned? He eyed his cousin speculatively, knowing that while Kakarrot had proven himself as a warrior--well Vegeta had heard about the fact that it taken Kakarrot two extra days to return from Scotland. He did not trust his cousin's sense of direction, not above ground where there were signs, or down here where there were trick corridors and dead ends to ensure if the King was being chased he would be given many opportunities to escape.
So Vegeta instead steeled himself, unknowing of how much time had passed since Nappa had taken off in the other direction. He hoped it was past the five minutes which meant Nappa would be joining them soon, but he did not have the time to worry about that. Instead he kept his back flat against the wall for just a moment, closing his eyes, before he edged out, looking over his shoulder as soon as he could peek around the corner.
What he saw not only caused his heart to stop, but also caused him to exclaim quite loudly, "Oh FUCK."
~~&~~
Goku's grew wide as he realized just how loud Vegeta had cursed, his mouth hanging open as he wondered what on Earth could have the unflustered man so...well, flustered...as Vegeta slammed back against the wall, his face ashen, his eyes wide.
Goku was about to mouth a simple question, but Vegeta put a finger up, silencing him as they both strained their ears, listening to see if anyone had heard Vegeta's curse--but no. There was still movement, still that foreign language (which even Goku could deduce was Russian though he did not have even a hundredth of his sister's skills for languages), and Goku expected Vegeta to breathe a sigh of relief. But he did not. Instead he leaned his head against the dirty wall of the tunnel they were in, saying much more softly this time, "Fucking shit, fucking bloody ass shit, wanker. Fucking bloody ass wanker bollocks--."
Goku stopped listening as Vegeta continued to curse far more creatively than Goku ever could, Vegeta's eyes closed, his face pained. Goku took the opportunity of the first time they had really, well, stopped, since having 'eliminated' those Russian soldiers that had been waiting under the docks of the House of Lords to take a breath, a really deep and necessary breath he had been unable to take as they had been running in and out of fights, and in and out of cabinets and secret tunnels.
He did not let him dwell on thoughts he would have to face later--Vegeta was dead right in assuming that Goku had never killed anyone before, had never engaged in open warfare or battle. But to be fair, he had never felt his family, his state, or even his country was under attack. He knew there was fighting being done to the West and South as America expanded--but he was from the Northeast, and he was not in the army. He fought for pleasure. He had never had to fight to protect those around him. Well except from bears when he had been younger, but that was not the same as...well...this.
This, this threat to not only his new country, but also his family, his cousin, his soon to be wife--he could see why Vegeta had hardened himself, turning himself into a killer. Especially against someone as deadly as Frieza and the Russian's. He did not know all that his cousin had gone through when he was in the Navy, but...well, Goku was never going to judge his cousin too harshly for the hard shell he presented to the world, again. He needed to be made of stone to survive in battle. It was what had saved him up to this point.
"--Fucking fuckity fuck fucking fuckballs." Vegeta finally stopped his long string of curse words, catching Goku's attention and he opened his eyes, taking a deep breath before he whispered, "We cannot use guns."
Goku cocked his head, ready to bring up the fact that he was a crack shot (what on account of having to hunt for his own food from the time he could walk), but Vegeta's tone grew harsher as he leant forward grabbing Goku's shoulders as he shook him at every word for emphasis, "We. Cannot. Use. Guns. Look."
Goku switched spots with Vegeta, doing as his cousin had done, putting his back flat against the wall as he edged out, looking over his shoulder as he quickly took in the scene before them. He did not curse as Vegeta did, but instead he pulled himself quickly back, doing the sign of the cross he had seen his mother do whenever she was worried, forcing himself on auto pilot as he turned to look at Vegeta, recounting what he saw. "Seven soldiers, including Frieza. All around thirty something barrels of...uhm...something."
Vegeta frowned, as if he could sense that Goku knew what was in the barrels (which he did), but was trying to gloss over that fact and stay positive (which he was). His tone was flat as he spoke, "Gunpowder, Kakarrot. Enough gunpowder to annihilate Westminster and anything in a four-block radius. One tiny spark--whether from a torch, or the discharge of a gun, or the friction of a stray bullet--we are all dead." Vegeta finally let go of Goku's shoulders, gritting through his teeth when he spoke next, "So--we. Cannot. Use. Guns."
Goku frowned as his cousin repeated that as if were a child--but he knew it was the truth. One spark and BOOM. No one would make it out of here alive.
Goku frowned, looking down, his hands fisted unconsciously he noted, before he looked back up. "We have to engage them, and now. The longer we wait, Frieza could leave again, and we could be left without knowing where he went. Plus the longer we wait--well, they could blow those barrels at any moment if they find out their army is gone. This is a last ditch plan, and we have to take it out before they realize it is the only plan they have left."
Vegeta grimly nodded, folding his arms for a moment as he looked towards the roof of the cavern, as if seeking holy inspiration. His head snapped back down after a moment, "Did you bring any weapons with you? Or do you just have the sword you stole off of the Russian soldier?"
Goku frowned, knowing Vegeta would not like his answer, but the truth of the matter was that Goku did not just walk around with guns and knives in his pockets. Like Vegeta did, he was discovering. "This is all I have."
Vegeta let out a weathered sigh, before reaching into his coat, holding out two smaller knives, which Goku took, putting the sword back in the belt he had grabbed off of the dead Russian as well. Vegeta reached into the other side of his pocket, this time pulling out a couple of more the smaller throwing knives out and holding them in his hands. "I assume you know how to throw these." Goku nodded, before Vegeta continued, whispering out his plan, "Three of the soldiers are not holding torches, two to the right and one to the left--we need to kill them first, and then we need to go after the three soldiers holding the torches, but make sure you do not kill them with the throwing knives, as we do not want to chance them dropping the torches."
"Frieza was not holding a torch. If you take one of the guards with the throwing knife, you will still have one to kill Frieza as well when we first jump into their lines of sight." Goku laid out what he was a perfectly fine addition to Vegeta's plan--but based on Vegeta's reaction, Vegeta did not feel the same way.
Vegeta snarled, his lip curling up as he bared his fangs, "That bastard does not get to die like that, not that quickly, not that painlessly." Goku put his hands up in defeat, but Vegeta was not finished, his voice a hiss as he whispered, "He is mine to kill Kakarrot, mine!"
Goku stayed silent, this time, knowing Vegeta needed to be as level headed as he could before they did this next part of his plan and not wanting to provoke him to rashness.
Vegeta's teeth stayed bared as he continued when he saw Goku was not going to add anything else, "You take the two to the right side of the barrels, I will take the one to the left. Once we have taken them out, we have to attack. We must kill the other two foot soldiers on the right side of the barrels immediately. The soldier to the right of Frieza, the fat, pink man--that is Dodoria. Do not let his girth distract you. He is a stone cold murderer, and he is fast. He stays by Frieza's left hand for a reason." Vegeta cracked his neck before he continued, "I would kill the man myself--but I need to go after Frieza. I need to get to him before he escapes, as I have a feeling he will try to run rather than face us in battle."
Goku took a deep breath, composing himself, taking a second to steel himself to kill again--and this time in close quarters. He was not worried about throwing the daggers and missing or anything like that--he was trained by the best, and that meant knowing how to handle all types of weapons. But knowing that this time--he would be looking them in the eyes as he took their lives, well that took a second to ready himself for.
Vegeta spoke again, drawing his attention, "Ready?" Goku tried to speak but found that his mouth was dry, so he nodded his acquiescence for what like the hundredth time that day. Vegeta's mouth set in a grim line, before he put up three fingers, counting down as he kept his eyes on Goku, putting one down, then a second and...finally...the third one was down. They both sprung into action.
Goku jumped out further than Vegeta, so that he had a better line of sight to the right. He wasted no time in flipping the daggers up, catching them on the flat of their blades, turning and using the momentum of his weight to throw to the two guards on the right not holding an open flame. One hit the soldier dead on the mark, catching him in the chest and felling him before anyone could react. The second one went slightly wide, but still got the soldier in the right side of his chest, causing him to fall to the ground from shock or the weight of the throwing knife, Goku did not care to find out. Goku wasted no time, running to the felled man with the dagger in his chest, pulling the sword from his belt as he did so. As he reached him, he used the sharp side of the blade to run across the man's throat as he jumped over him, making sure he finished the job.
Goku hardly had time to look as the blood gushed forth from his neck though, feeling rather than seeing the next soldier who came at him. Goku instantly raised his sword as the closer foot soldier to him slashed his weapon down. Goku's met his sword above Goku's own head, with a jaw chattering clang. He was going to cut me in two! Goku's strength was the only thing that had saved him.
Goku recovered quickly from that thought, as something in him shifted, some new pulse began to beat in him as he moved swiftly as he took a step back, pulling his sword with him, out of the path of the still swinging sword of the enemy. He then thrust his sword forward, into the soft belly of the man, pulling it out as quickly as he had plunged it in. He took but a moment to grab the lit torch from the still standing man's hand before the soldier crumpled before Goku, his guts on the ground only a second before the rest of him fell. Goku focused on snuffing the torch out of the way of the barrels, against the damp wall of the tunnel before he threw it harmlessly to the ground.
Goku had only a second to turn, as he once again ducked from the swinging of another sword. If he had not moved, his head would have been separated from his shoulders, and for the second time in as many minutes Goku was faced with his own mortality and the fact that someone was trying to take it from him. Goku took only a second for that to sink in before he felt the pulsing beat in him deepen, further, stretch, grow--until it had taken over his whole being, a boiling in the pit of his stomach, in the very blood of his veins, a furious roar erupting from him. This adrenaline--he had felt adrenaline before. He was a fighter. It was a given. But this pulsing ferocity that came with knowing how close he had come to losing his life was something new, something different--something primal and something that made Goku realize he was not to be FUCKED with.
It tore through him as he burst up from his ducked position with the sword coming straight up, catching the soldier under his chin, Goku's sword running straight through the front of his head, out the other side of the top of the man's skull. Blood splattered him as he pulled it out with another yell. His reflexes were lightning fast as he grabbed the burning torch from the man's hand, snuffing it out on the ground. He turned then, charging towards his last target, that fat man Dodoria, unseeing of anything else that was going on around him.
Dodoria, who had his gun ready and aimed in his right hand at Goku's charging form, turned towards him, revealing in his left hand a lit torch. Goku stopped short, a few feet away from him, but took a tentative step closer to his target. Dodoria let out a growl, his voice low but full of weight as it carried to Goku, "One more step, and I blow us all to pieces."
Goku froze, taking in the precarious situation. Dodoria was smart, a hardened warrior and quick--Vegeta had told Goku himself. He also knew that Dodoria knew he was on the losing side of this battle, and his chances of escaping with his life were slim. All he had to do was drop that torch and BOOM. Everything, everybody above them, or around these barrels--they would be dead. Dodoria really had nothing to lose by killing them all, including himself.
Goku cursed, wishing he had a gun for the first time all day. Dodoria was standing at the back of the barrels, and if he could have levered a shot off, he could have chanced the torch flying out of Dodoria's hands away from he gunpowder. But all he had was his sword. Did he dare throw it at the torch? What if he missed like he had earlier and the torch fell to the side--within inches of the gunpowder? Goku did not have to be a genius to figure out that would be all the gunpowder would need to explode. So he froze, weighing his options.
Dodoria cocked the gun in his hand as he took the man in, "Very good. Now, put your weapon down." Goku went to move, and Dodoria spoke again, "Slowly now--slowly." When it was down, he motioned with the gun not stupid enough to shoot at Goku as he stood at the middle of the barrels. The spark from his flint would be all it would take to blow them all to pieces, "Now come out of there. Keep your hands up."
Goku followed the orders with a grim look on his face, knowing he needed to think of something fast, or else he really would be dead. He considered lunging for the man when he came from around the barrels, but the torch was too precariously held. Dodoria had motioned for him to come around the back of the barrels, so that Dodoria turned his back on the barrels--if Goku lunged for him now, the torch would fall right into the gunpowder.
Goku gritted his teeth as Dodoria finally spoke when Goku now stood at the back of the cave, "Good, that's good enough." Dodoria wore the world's most obnoxious smirk (or maybe it just felt that way to Goku) as he said, "Any last words, fool?"
Goku only narrowed his eyes, looking straight past Dodoria as he felt spark of hope ignite in him as he saw movement at the mouth of the tunnel they had entered in through. When he realized who, and what that movement was, Goku only smirked for a half a second before he said, "Yeah. DIVE!" Goku followed his own advice, jumping low to the ground and out of the way of Dodoria's gun.
Before Dodoria could process the words, Nappa had taken aim and shot the man in the back left shoulder, causing the torch to be thrown away from the barrels--and right into Goku's outstretched hand on the ground. Goku moved quickly, before Dodoria could shoot, grabbing the torch as it was in midair and stabbing it up as if it were a sword as he jumped up, right into the fat man's face.
The scream and the smell of singed flesh and hair hit Goku's nose, even as he grabbed the man's jacket, pulling him into the torch and further away from the barrels so a stray spark did not shoot them all to early graves. Only when they were away did Goku throw the torch harmlessly into the ground behind him, pulling the man into a headlock with his arms, before he gritted his teeth as he repeated the words the fat man had just asked him, "Any last words, fat man?"
Goku did not wait before he felt the primal urge rip through him, his arms turning, as he snapped the man's neck away from his spine, killing the man instantly, the dead weight in his arms, and the burning skin of the man's face hurting Goku--not that he noticed as he tossed the body to the side.
Nappa ran up, respect and admiration in his eyes as he took in what Goku had done, handing Goku the sword he had picked up. Goku took the sword from him, only saying, "Nice shot. Come on--Vegeta was running after Frieza this way."
Nappa wasted no time in heading deeper into the tunnels, Goku at his heels, the beast inside of him screaming for more.
~~&~~
A/N: So this chapter has a lot of running around--but Frieza is a smart man and is not going to let himself get cornered that easily, ya know? As for Goku's more aggressive nature than usual--well I blame Bulma's influence (and my desire for him to be a badass). That's all this time folks, next time we catch up to Vegeta and (hopefully) Frieza!
Warnings: Cussing. Violence. Blood.
A/N: Anyone have questions on the original Colt Patterson? Because I can certainly answer them now.... First off, I apologize for the long delay. I can't believe it's the middle of April anymore than I can believe it's the year 2015. The future is now!
For all of you who review, and leave your love--I continue this story for you. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Kattastropi, I hope you're feeling better, and thank you for dealing with me!
Chapter Forty: Rigmarole
Vegeta was glad he had ever taken the time to memorize the tunnels that ran throughout and underneath Westminster--it was not standard issue for spies, but Vegeta had forced himself to memorize where the secret passages led, where the secret latches were, and which ways were complete wastes of time. And fuck, was he glad he did, as he ran headfirst back into the cabinet, not even bothering to relight the torch (knowing full well that Nappa would be behind him doing so) as he ran halfway back down the stairs they had just snuck up, taking the very first left he could. He paused just long enough to pull on the right sconce twice before pulling the left one once, the seeming wall before him cracking open.
The full sprint Vegeta had taken hardly left him winded as he pushed open the cracked door, revealing yet another secret entrance. This one led to the actual room the House of Lords met in, a room and layout Vegeta knew like the back of his hand--on account of his having a high ranking seat here. But he did not waste time to think about that, only thanking Kami it was empty before he continued his mad sprint, running through the room and into the hallway. He ran back up the stairs in the hall, back towards the hallway they had just been on the other side of, coming upon what he assumed was the British Blockade--about twenty-five soldiers, and ten high ranking men, standing sentry in the hall, their guns drawn and facing the closed room of the cabinet. Vegeta ignored the looks he got as he pushed through, his eyes swiveling madly for Basil.
He did not want to push his way to the front--he had no doubt Dodoria would recognize him right away, and Vegeta still wanted the element of surprise on his hands when he finally confronted Frieza. Instead he stood about two rows back from where he finally saw Basil, who was chatting in hushed tones to the general who had been talking to Dodoria and the 'King,' and let out a low whistle the men had used to recognize each other before. Basil instantly froze, turning, his eyes lighting when he caught sight of Vegeta. Vegeta put a finger to his lips, and then pointed back, so that they could speak with the wall of soldiers blocking them.
Vegeta hurried back down the stairs (paranoid that Dodoria would be able to see his instantly recognizable hair over the other soldiers), Nappa and Kakarrot standing there, waiting for him. The pair of men only drew behind him, facing Basil as he approached with the commander of all of the British fighting services. Both men looked at him grimly, Basil's eyes raised as he took in Vegeta's dirt and soot covered self (and companions), before he spoke, "Your Grace. When did you arrive? I had men posted so that I would know the second you were here."
Vegeta waved his hand, dismissing the man's questions as he quickly told him, "No time to explain. Just know that we entered through the underground docks--where there was a boat full of Russian soldiers waiting." Basil's eyes grew large, but Vegeta continued knowing time was of the essence here, "We took care of them though. The medieval defenses were still there--but I am worried that Frieza will soon learn that his hidden army is gone. We must strike now."
Basil frowned, and the general who had come with him, the head of the British military, finally spoke, "We cannot Your Grace. They are holding the King hostage. They are saying that he has signed all of their demands and that we are to surrender."
Vegeta only shook his head, "That is not the King. We were just in his office--the real King is dead, sitting at his desk. Frieza is manipulating all of you."
Basil turned to Vegeta's companions then, his face set in stone as he only asked, "Is this true?"
Nappa and Kakarrot both spoke at once, "Aye," "Yes," and Basil and the General both turned back towards Vegeta.
"We need to rush them, then. The next time they open the door--."
Vegeta shook his head, "No. I still want to try and catch them by surprise. They think they have the upper hand here, they think that we don't know about the King or the army of men hiding underneath Westminster--if we rush them, Frieza could run. We know he is quite adept at hiding, as our intelligence says he has been in London for months now. The last thing we want to do is lose sight of him."
Basil sighed, nodding, looking to his companion, "The Duke is right. The last thing we want is for Frieza to run again." He turned back to Vegeta, "What do you suggest we do, then?"
Vegeta frowned, a plan forming as he spoke, "I will take only your five best men--but people that Dodoria will not notice as missing the next time he speaks to you. We shall go in the way we just came--the eight of us should be able to get in no problem and assess the situation. While we engage Frieza and his men--well, you should hear the fighting and be able to sneak around to the other side, where the Cabinet waiting chamber's are, and we can corner them."
"That should work." The General rubbed his chin as he spoke, the gleam of success already in his eyes.
Vegeta did not allow himself to get cocky though, only pushing for more about the situation, "Do you have any idea how many men are in there with Frieza?"
Basil was the one who shook his head this time, a hint of frustration in the usually unflappable man's shoulders. Seemed all it took to have his feathers ruffled was...well, the death of the King at the hand's of England's worst enemy. "We have only seen the fat one and the imposter King." Basil stopped for a beat, adding (at seeing Vegeta's frown), "But your plan could really work." He turned to the general and commanded, "Go grab your five best men, telling them to meet Vegeta at the tapestry in the House of Lords chambers." Basil turned back to Vegeta, nodding, "We shall wait for your signal to attack--we need to catch Frieza before he realizes that he has been cornered."
Vegeta turned, ready to head back to the secret entrance, but the General placed a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention, "Your Grace, it is imperative that while we attack, we keep Frieza alive. You may kill everyone else, but if you kill him, we are asking for all out war with the Russians." He paused and sighed, as if he imagined the grim future that awaited them if the Russian Prince was slain, "That is something we all want to avoid, yes?"
Vegeta felt a pulse in his temple jump at that order, but he only replied with the words that had been beat into him from his days in the military, "Yes, Sir." His personal vendetta did not have to be mentioned here, though he knew that Basil knew about it--but the man kept silent. Vegeta did not ponder that fact, knowing that what mattered most here was not his personal feelings towards Frieza, but rather surprising Frieza.
Though, Vegeta would be lying, if he said that in that moment the beast he had felt when fighting Kakarrot for Bulma's hand did not stir awake. That is--it did not set fire to his blood--but his very being, demanding that he tear Frieza's head from his body before the day was through.
~~&~~
Frieza sat in the largest chair in the room, his feet kicked up on the table as he sipped from the cup of tea he was holding, wishing it was something stronger. He giggled as the 'King' and Dodoria went back out for another round of negotiations, knowing that once he got the head of the Military to surrender--well the kingdom was as good as his. This might be taking a bit longer than he had expected, what with all of their stammering, and delaying, but all in all the British were being very accommodating by falling right in line with his plans. He almost wished they were being just a bit more disagreeable so he would have reason to call on his army that was still waiting for him below. Or kill some more of the sniveling advisors. Well, the advisors he had not already killed in front of the military men that was.
Hmmm, in fact, maybe he should kill another one to show that they were not joking. Or better yet--maybe he would call up the waiting men right now. He was growing bored with all of the talking, and what better way to end it, then to have his men run up the stairs behind the small number of men outside the cabinet room, forcing them to surrender. Maybe that would then flush out the other British spies and soldiers that the military was sure to have waiting for their signal. Frieza was bored with this diplomatic way of settling things--he wanted there to be bloodshed and he wanted to be the one to do it.
Frieza moved his legs, standing as he called over to one of his men. The soldier came to him right away, and Frieza flicked his hands, pointing to the door that had led them in here, the door that led to the secret entrance inside of the obnoxious (and rather obvious) cabinet, "Go downstairs. Tell the men they are needed--I am sick of waiting for these British to commit to anything." When Dodoria turned to him, surprise in his eyes, Frieza only shrugged, trying to be truthful as he admitted, "The longer we wait, the more we tempt fate in these men recognizing that man as someone other than their king. The last thing we want is for them to think their only option is attack." He giggled then, smirking, "Well, not until I am ready to attack them, that is."
Dodoria only smiled at that, the soldier who had still been standing there, saluting as he disappeared through the door on the other side of the room. Frieza stared after him for a moment, wondering how the former King William's body was doing in there. He wondered, briefly, if it had atrophied just yet.
Frieza giggled again at that thought, watching the door, as if waiting to see the soldier's charging up the stairs. He could not wait to see his men flowing up from the House of Lords, cornering the top British men in the country in a hallway where they were sure to be ambushed. He had taken Zarbon's route to get here--but there was going to be a bloodbath, or else Frieza would feel like this would be a hollow victory.
There was a noise from the King's office, though, that drew not only his, but everyone in the room's attention as the door opened again, the dead body of the man he had just sent in there sailing back into the room. Frieza blinked as he made eye contact with the felled body of his underling, confusion marring his face as he took the man's slashed throat in, before blinking slowly and looking back up.
There, in front of about six or seven other men stood a tall, giant brute of a man, who was wiping his blade clean as he grinned at the room in general. Frieza tilted his head in confusion until the man stepped to the side, revealing the Duke of Vegetasei, standing there with fury and death in his eyes as he locked eyes with Frieza.
Frieza only felt a delicious shiver of anticipation trill through his body, and a small smile creep onto his face as he said, "Oh goody. I was wondering when you would arrive."
~~&~~
The second Nappa had moved aside, allowing Vegeta full access to the room, he had caught Frieza's eye, as if drawn there by a magnet. Vegeta had only had a half second to hear him mutter something to himself, had only half a second to feel as if victory was at hand--before--for the second time that day, Nappa had screamed, "DIVE!" While he also grabbed the back of Vegeta's jacket, once again pulling Vegeta down, and out of the way of the several bullets that had been fired at them the second the soldiers around Frieza had realized the men who had entered the room were not more Russian soldiers.
The rest of the army men with Vegeta and Nappa, as well as Kakarrot, who were not mesmerized by the realization of a very long standing grudge in front of them had turned the tables closest to them on their sides the second they entered the rooms. The heavy wooden tables served as excellent makeshift shields as the twenty or so soldiers that Frieza had in here with him began to shoot at them.
Wood exploded around them, but the heavy tables, and the quick reflexes of the men with them had saved their lives. Vegeta, not for the first time, thanked his lucky stars for Nappa. The man might not be the smartest--but when it came down to being in the line of fire, that man had the reflexes of a cat. Really, he was indispensable. Especially as he looked at Vegeta, frowning as he said, "Those men don't have muskets--they have revolvers."
Vegeta, and the soldiers around him all cursed at that, Kakarrot only frowning. If Nappa was correct, and Vegeta knew he was (reflexes of a cat and observant to a fault), then unlike the guards downstairs, these men were equipped with the extremely new Colt Patterson revolvers--so named because unlike muskets, the barrel revolved, giving the owner five shots versus just one. Which meant that they were going to keep shooting at them, no need to take more than a few seconds to reload. Even though the shots were at close range, the table was thick enough that it would protect them--but if they did not need to reload, the men would come around the side of the room and shoot them point blank. Vegeta wasted no time in pulling out his own pistol from inside his jacket, glad to see the men around him similarly equipped as they poked their heads back over, returning fire, aiming for the soldiers.
Vegeta heard the crash of the tables on the other side of the room, knowing that the Russian soldiers were now in a similar position as they were. The closest soldier to them looked at Vegeta, "Your grace, pardon my French, but how the fuck do Russian soldiers find themselves equipped with an American gun?"
Kakarrot who had been oddly silent as they ducked for cover, looked contemplative before he smiled as all of the guns that had been shooting at them stopped at the same time, silence descending. Kakarrot used the opportunity to shoot up over the tables, looking at the guns and the Russian's for a moment, before popping back down, "I'd know those guns anywhere! That's a Colt Paterson." Kakarrot counted silently, before looking back at the rest of the men, "They'll start shooting again in five...four...three," Kakarrot's last two finger's went down--and the shooting started again.
Vegeta stared at him in amazement, "How the fuck did you know that?"
Kakarrot had the most Vegetasei like smirk on his face as he spoke, "My dad sold a bunch of factories to this weapons company in America, run by...well someone named Colt, I know that for sure." Kakarrot stopped for a second, before the smirk turned into one of his idiotic grins, "I was with my dad as he toured the factories, as he helped Mr. Colt with his design flaw--the very flaw we just hard. These Russian's have the older models!" At seeing no spark of recognition in any of the men's eyes, Kakarrot sighed, the grin dropping, before he explained, "Before Mr. Colt asked for my father's help with design, you used to have to basically take apart the whole thing to reload them. You can't just press the loading level on these like we can on ours. Make them shoot three more times, and we can attack when they are reloading!"
Vegeta stared at his cousin, once again amazed by the fount of information he had been today, before he asked out of pure curiosity, "How do you think they got those weapons?"
Kakarrot shrugged in earnest at this. "I don't know. When dad found out that Mr. Colt planned to sell weapons to people like the Russian's, he broke off all ties with the company. My guess? He either sold them the older models, or he had begun selling to the Russian's long before my father got involved."
Vegeta looked at the soldiers around him, seeing them digest this new information before they went back to shooting, trying to draw out the desired three more shots. Vegeta used the opportunity of the volleying fire to peak over the tables, seeing the strewn bodies of the British cabinet about--though interestingly enough none of them had bullet holes in them. These men were stiff, the stench of death and decay already on them--whatever had just happened, these men had long been dead. Probably as long as the King, if Vegeta had to guess. Vegeta quickly tried to observe the people on the other side, but they were all ducked under tables, besides the very few number of men in the cabinet who were still alive-- who huddled in the corner looking beyond terrified. Whether from the gunfire, or from Frieza himself was anyone's guess.
There was another torrent of shots from the Russian's, and Vegeta ducked back down, though something caught in his vision, even as he ducked. The door opposite the one they had entered through, had it's door ajar--and Vegeta was afraid he had seen the heels of Frieza and a few of his biggest soldiers go with them through those doors.
Vegeta peaked up again when the gunfire died down (only one more needed shot!), shooting back, but confirming his suspicions as he saw the door was in fact ajar--and that man who had long since dominated his focus, Frieza, was no where to be seen. He tried to rise, but Nappa yanked him down again as more shots came. Vegeta landed with a crash, cursing himself under his breath as he realized they had gotten themselves into a sort of stalemate, even as the soldier's around him sprang into position to start moving around the room. Even if the Russian's needed more time to reload then he and his men did, they would be smart enough to not all shoot at the same exact time. He was sure that as his men crept closer they would find that half of the soldiers still had bullets. Dammit! He did not want to spend the rest of the day locked in a standoff, shooting guns back and forth with the Russian army.
This was not a fight--the bloodthirsty thrill of running your sword through another man, or the actual battle of strength Vegeta prided himself on--it was a tactical fight. Vegeta would bet all of his titles and honorifics that Frieza was using this as a distraction to escape--and Vegeta would let hell freeze over before he let the slippery lizard of a man escape his clutches. There were more than enough Russian soldiers to overpower the eight men on this side of the room--but they were buying Frieza time, waiting until he was long gone before they would actually engage with the men. No need to risk one of them slipping through their defenses when guns would keep them at bay.
Vegeta quickly motioned to the only man without a gun, Kakarrot, and spoke in a low voice as the men around them poked up and down, shooting, ducking as shots were returned. Vegeta ignored them as he earnestly told his cousin, "Frieza is trying to escape through the other secret staircase on the other side of this room--it leads to tunnels underneath the city. We need to go after him before he disappears back into the city."
Kakarrot's eyes glinted like black onyx, Vegeta seeing the call of battle and a man who craved hand-to-hand combat like he did, glinting back in answer. He never felt closer to his cousin, especially as he said, "Anything you need me to do, I am here."
Vegeta felt the weight of those words, trusting in them, trusting in his cousin, before he turned back to the soldier to his left. "We are going back into the hallway the way we came--provide cover for us, and I will have the rest of the men outside breaking this door down and stopping this."
The soldier nodded, and Vegeta motioned for Nappa and Kakarrot to stay crouched low as they followed him back into the room. Vegeta heard gunfire, but it burst harmlessly against the wood of the doorframe above their heads--and just as quickly he heard the British soldiers shoot back, the groan of a man testament enough that someone had been hit. Whether British or Russian though, Vegeta did not know as he only continued through the King's office.
Ignoring the dead body of the King, Vegeta wasted no time in going through the main door in the office for the first time that day, running into the corridor with the two men at his back as he wasted just enough time to shout, "Frieza is getting away--your men are stuck in the cabinet room in a standoff with the Russian soldiers left behind. If you enter from behind you should be able to surprise them."
Vegeta did not wait for a reaction, instead heading towards the other side of the cabinet room, hearing the heavy footsteps of British soldiers from behind him as they entered the room on the other side, the gunshots ringing loud and clear in the room just beyond the door. Vegeta turned toward the cabinet, similar to the one in the King's office that housed the secret tunnel and stairs that led to the tunnels underneath Westminster, ready to charge down them.
"Vegeta!" Hearing his name, he stopped though, seeing that Kakarrot and Nappa were quick on his heels. It was not them who called him though--but rather Basil, who held out a gold plated naval officer's sword, "I believe you need this, sir."
Vegeta did not waste time; instead taking the weapon that was as familiar to him as breathing was. His time in the Royal Navy had culminated in him receiving this weapon when he had received his first officered rank at the age of twenty. The sword had stayed by his side throughout the rest of his time in the navy--until Frieza had stripped it from him when he had so unnecessarily surrendered. It had never been returned to him. If Vegeta were a more sentimental man, there would have been something poetic in this moment. But he was practical, and time was of the essence--and he knew this was not his exact weapon that had been stripped from him.
But it sure felt like it was.
Basil was not done talking yet, his eyes locked with Vegeta's even as British soldiers began to stream in through door behind them, Russian shouts and gunfire loud as he said, "Remember. Frieza is to be brought back alive." He turned to go, and Vegeta smirked bitterly at the second reminder he had that day to bring Frieza back alive. He did not have to be reminded what would happen if he succeeded in killing Frieza--his life was forfeit, to be handed over to the Russian's in reparation for what he had done to Frieza.
As Vegeta turned down the stairs, the other men close on his heels, Nappa already holding a lit torch (a new talent of his that was, always having a lit torch, but not one that Vegeta was not going to take for granted) holding a revolver in one hand, and the sword in his other, he thought about what that meant, and why it bothered him to be reminded so. He always knew it was going to end with his life being taken from him--whether by Frieza, or his own government for the murder of a monarch, but to be reminded so, now, well it got to him. It should not have gotten to him. Before Vegeta would have been more than willing to have his life taken if it meant Frieza was dead--but now....
That blasted woman, his Kamiforsaken wife, her words entered his mind, as did a picture of her face this morning as she had said goodbye to him. Her face--and her stupid word's about how she stupidly loved him, and how the stupid baby would stupidly depend on stupid, undependable him. Fuck.
Well he knew what he had to do, right now, as he was running down the stairs with Nappa and Kakarrot on his heels--he would have to forget her words. He needed to do this--he needed to at least chase after Frieza, to fight him, or he would never forgive himself. He would be letting himself down as well as the oath he had made. And that oath meant everything to him. It was the only thing that had kept him afloat when he himself had returned from Russia and it had been the only thing fueling him after Tarble's body had been returned to him, despite having paid the ransom to have him returned alive.
The torch that Nappa was holding flickered as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the men realizing they were directly under a vent that led to the surface that let in not only fresh air, but light to see the paths in front of them. Vegeta cursed as he felt the fresh air on his face, "Fuck!" That vent meant that they were now in the cavernous and twisting tunnels that ran under Westminster and all of London.
They were fucking screwed.
Vegeta put a hand up, and the two men behind him slowed to his pace, walking in the caverns, their footsteps and the occasional drip from the roof to the ground of the tunnel their only accompaniment. The tunnels were deadly quiet, and it was only when they reached a fork that Vegeta looked back to the two men following him. He made an executive decision then, turning to Nappa, "You go right, you know the tunnels under London like the back of your hand. If you see him, do not engage--come back and get us. If you find no sign of them in five minutes, return this way. I think Frieza is more likely to try and escape through the way he came in."
Nappa only nodded, handing the almost unnecessary torch to Vegeta, taking off at a jog that had his footsteps echoing around the tunnels. Vegeta did not even both to chide him for not being stealthy, as the tunnels were vast--speed was more important than stealth at this time. Once he disappeared, Vegeta turned back to Kakarrot, who stood at the ready, "Come on--this way leads back under the House of Lords, and connects with the docks underneath where we found those boats. I am willing to bet Frieza is trying to reconnect with the soldiers we already eliminated."
Kakarrot, to his credit, only slightly winced at the reminder of what they had done already to the supposed to be waiting Russian soldiers, but he wasted no time in steeling himself, answering, "Then that is the way we should go. Frieza, from my very brief understanding of him is an extremely smart warrior."
Vegeta wished he could have said otherwise, but he knew it was not untrue. So instead he turned on his heel and began to run.
They took the twists and turns that would lead them under the heart of Westminster, Vegeta dead set on reaching those docks before Frieza could. Though there were no ships waiting for him there, that did not mean the men could not climb into London street traffic, and blend in, disappearing in broad daylight. Even dressed as soldiers, Londoners were used to all sorts of people--it would take the second coming of Kami to really capture their attention. And even then they would probably only look for a second before returning to their normally scheduled day.
It was as they approached the catacombs directly underneath the middle of Westminster that they finally heard voices, and Vegeta put a hand out, freezing Kakarrot before he rounded a corner at the speed they were currently running at. The younger man stopped immediately, barely tapping Vegeta's hand as they came to a complete stop at the edge of the mouth of the tunnel where Vegeta had heard the voices. Vegeta waited a moment, holding his breath, listening, noting that the Russian they were speaking, and the scraping of something heavy against the floor had covered their approaching footsteps.
Vegeta was left with a dilemma at that moment as he stood, just listening. He had yet to peak around to see how many soldiers were truly around the corner, so he did not know what in the hell he was facing. So the question now was, did he wait for Nappa to catch up to them or send Kakarrot back to go get him for backup and leave himself alone until the men returned? He eyed his cousin speculatively, knowing that while Kakarrot had proven himself as a warrior--well Vegeta had heard about the fact that it taken Kakarrot two extra days to return from Scotland. He did not trust his cousin's sense of direction, not above ground where there were signs, or down here where there were trick corridors and dead ends to ensure if the King was being chased he would be given many opportunities to escape.
So Vegeta instead steeled himself, unknowing of how much time had passed since Nappa had taken off in the other direction. He hoped it was past the five minutes which meant Nappa would be joining them soon, but he did not have the time to worry about that. Instead he kept his back flat against the wall for just a moment, closing his eyes, before he edged out, looking over his shoulder as soon as he could peek around the corner.
What he saw not only caused his heart to stop, but also caused him to exclaim quite loudly, "Oh FUCK."
~~&~~
Goku's grew wide as he realized just how loud Vegeta had cursed, his mouth hanging open as he wondered what on Earth could have the unflustered man so...well, flustered...as Vegeta slammed back against the wall, his face ashen, his eyes wide.
Goku was about to mouth a simple question, but Vegeta put a finger up, silencing him as they both strained their ears, listening to see if anyone had heard Vegeta's curse--but no. There was still movement, still that foreign language (which even Goku could deduce was Russian though he did not have even a hundredth of his sister's skills for languages), and Goku expected Vegeta to breathe a sigh of relief. But he did not. Instead he leaned his head against the dirty wall of the tunnel they were in, saying much more softly this time, "Fucking shit, fucking bloody ass shit, wanker. Fucking bloody ass wanker bollocks--."
Goku stopped listening as Vegeta continued to curse far more creatively than Goku ever could, Vegeta's eyes closed, his face pained. Goku took the opportunity of the first time they had really, well, stopped, since having 'eliminated' those Russian soldiers that had been waiting under the docks of the House of Lords to take a breath, a really deep and necessary breath he had been unable to take as they had been running in and out of fights, and in and out of cabinets and secret tunnels.
He did not let him dwell on thoughts he would have to face later--Vegeta was dead right in assuming that Goku had never killed anyone before, had never engaged in open warfare or battle. But to be fair, he had never felt his family, his state, or even his country was under attack. He knew there was fighting being done to the West and South as America expanded--but he was from the Northeast, and he was not in the army. He fought for pleasure. He had never had to fight to protect those around him. Well except from bears when he had been younger, but that was not the same as...well...this.
This, this threat to not only his new country, but also his family, his cousin, his soon to be wife--he could see why Vegeta had hardened himself, turning himself into a killer. Especially against someone as deadly as Frieza and the Russian's. He did not know all that his cousin had gone through when he was in the Navy, but...well, Goku was never going to judge his cousin too harshly for the hard shell he presented to the world, again. He needed to be made of stone to survive in battle. It was what had saved him up to this point.
"--Fucking fuckity fuck fucking fuckballs." Vegeta finally stopped his long string of curse words, catching Goku's attention and he opened his eyes, taking a deep breath before he whispered, "We cannot use guns."
Goku cocked his head, ready to bring up the fact that he was a crack shot (what on account of having to hunt for his own food from the time he could walk), but Vegeta's tone grew harsher as he leant forward grabbing Goku's shoulders as he shook him at every word for emphasis, "We. Cannot. Use. Guns. Look."
Goku switched spots with Vegeta, doing as his cousin had done, putting his back flat against the wall as he edged out, looking over his shoulder as he quickly took in the scene before them. He did not curse as Vegeta did, but instead he pulled himself quickly back, doing the sign of the cross he had seen his mother do whenever she was worried, forcing himself on auto pilot as he turned to look at Vegeta, recounting what he saw. "Seven soldiers, including Frieza. All around thirty something barrels of...uhm...something."
Vegeta frowned, as if he could sense that Goku knew what was in the barrels (which he did), but was trying to gloss over that fact and stay positive (which he was). His tone was flat as he spoke, "Gunpowder, Kakarrot. Enough gunpowder to annihilate Westminster and anything in a four-block radius. One tiny spark--whether from a torch, or the discharge of a gun, or the friction of a stray bullet--we are all dead." Vegeta finally let go of Goku's shoulders, gritting through his teeth when he spoke next, "So--we. Cannot. Use. Guns."
Goku frowned as his cousin repeated that as if were a child--but he knew it was the truth. One spark and BOOM. No one would make it out of here alive.
Goku frowned, looking down, his hands fisted unconsciously he noted, before he looked back up. "We have to engage them, and now. The longer we wait, Frieza could leave again, and we could be left without knowing where he went. Plus the longer we wait--well, they could blow those barrels at any moment if they find out their army is gone. This is a last ditch plan, and we have to take it out before they realize it is the only plan they have left."
Vegeta grimly nodded, folding his arms for a moment as he looked towards the roof of the cavern, as if seeking holy inspiration. His head snapped back down after a moment, "Did you bring any weapons with you? Or do you just have the sword you stole off of the Russian soldier?"
Goku frowned, knowing Vegeta would not like his answer, but the truth of the matter was that Goku did not just walk around with guns and knives in his pockets. Like Vegeta did, he was discovering. "This is all I have."
Vegeta let out a weathered sigh, before reaching into his coat, holding out two smaller knives, which Goku took, putting the sword back in the belt he had grabbed off of the dead Russian as well. Vegeta reached into the other side of his pocket, this time pulling out a couple of more the smaller throwing knives out and holding them in his hands. "I assume you know how to throw these." Goku nodded, before Vegeta continued, whispering out his plan, "Three of the soldiers are not holding torches, two to the right and one to the left--we need to kill them first, and then we need to go after the three soldiers holding the torches, but make sure you do not kill them with the throwing knives, as we do not want to chance them dropping the torches."
"Frieza was not holding a torch. If you take one of the guards with the throwing knife, you will still have one to kill Frieza as well when we first jump into their lines of sight." Goku laid out what he was a perfectly fine addition to Vegeta's plan--but based on Vegeta's reaction, Vegeta did not feel the same way.
Vegeta snarled, his lip curling up as he bared his fangs, "That bastard does not get to die like that, not that quickly, not that painlessly." Goku put his hands up in defeat, but Vegeta was not finished, his voice a hiss as he whispered, "He is mine to kill Kakarrot, mine!"
Goku stayed silent, this time, knowing Vegeta needed to be as level headed as he could before they did this next part of his plan and not wanting to provoke him to rashness.
Vegeta's teeth stayed bared as he continued when he saw Goku was not going to add anything else, "You take the two to the right side of the barrels, I will take the one to the left. Once we have taken them out, we have to attack. We must kill the other two foot soldiers on the right side of the barrels immediately. The soldier to the right of Frieza, the fat, pink man--that is Dodoria. Do not let his girth distract you. He is a stone cold murderer, and he is fast. He stays by Frieza's left hand for a reason." Vegeta cracked his neck before he continued, "I would kill the man myself--but I need to go after Frieza. I need to get to him before he escapes, as I have a feeling he will try to run rather than face us in battle."
Goku took a deep breath, composing himself, taking a second to steel himself to kill again--and this time in close quarters. He was not worried about throwing the daggers and missing or anything like that--he was trained by the best, and that meant knowing how to handle all types of weapons. But knowing that this time--he would be looking them in the eyes as he took their lives, well that took a second to ready himself for.
Vegeta spoke again, drawing his attention, "Ready?" Goku tried to speak but found that his mouth was dry, so he nodded his acquiescence for what like the hundredth time that day. Vegeta's mouth set in a grim line, before he put up three fingers, counting down as he kept his eyes on Goku, putting one down, then a second and...finally...the third one was down. They both sprung into action.
Goku jumped out further than Vegeta, so that he had a better line of sight to the right. He wasted no time in flipping the daggers up, catching them on the flat of their blades, turning and using the momentum of his weight to throw to the two guards on the right not holding an open flame. One hit the soldier dead on the mark, catching him in the chest and felling him before anyone could react. The second one went slightly wide, but still got the soldier in the right side of his chest, causing him to fall to the ground from shock or the weight of the throwing knife, Goku did not care to find out. Goku wasted no time, running to the felled man with the dagger in his chest, pulling the sword from his belt as he did so. As he reached him, he used the sharp side of the blade to run across the man's throat as he jumped over him, making sure he finished the job.
Goku hardly had time to look as the blood gushed forth from his neck though, feeling rather than seeing the next soldier who came at him. Goku instantly raised his sword as the closer foot soldier to him slashed his weapon down. Goku's met his sword above Goku's own head, with a jaw chattering clang. He was going to cut me in two! Goku's strength was the only thing that had saved him.
Goku recovered quickly from that thought, as something in him shifted, some new pulse began to beat in him as he moved swiftly as he took a step back, pulling his sword with him, out of the path of the still swinging sword of the enemy. He then thrust his sword forward, into the soft belly of the man, pulling it out as quickly as he had plunged it in. He took but a moment to grab the lit torch from the still standing man's hand before the soldier crumpled before Goku, his guts on the ground only a second before the rest of him fell. Goku focused on snuffing the torch out of the way of the barrels, against the damp wall of the tunnel before he threw it harmlessly to the ground.
Goku had only a second to turn, as he once again ducked from the swinging of another sword. If he had not moved, his head would have been separated from his shoulders, and for the second time in as many minutes Goku was faced with his own mortality and the fact that someone was trying to take it from him. Goku took only a second for that to sink in before he felt the pulsing beat in him deepen, further, stretch, grow--until it had taken over his whole being, a boiling in the pit of his stomach, in the very blood of his veins, a furious roar erupting from him. This adrenaline--he had felt adrenaline before. He was a fighter. It was a given. But this pulsing ferocity that came with knowing how close he had come to losing his life was something new, something different--something primal and something that made Goku realize he was not to be FUCKED with.
It tore through him as he burst up from his ducked position with the sword coming straight up, catching the soldier under his chin, Goku's sword running straight through the front of his head, out the other side of the top of the man's skull. Blood splattered him as he pulled it out with another yell. His reflexes were lightning fast as he grabbed the burning torch from the man's hand, snuffing it out on the ground. He turned then, charging towards his last target, that fat man Dodoria, unseeing of anything else that was going on around him.
Dodoria, who had his gun ready and aimed in his right hand at Goku's charging form, turned towards him, revealing in his left hand a lit torch. Goku stopped short, a few feet away from him, but took a tentative step closer to his target. Dodoria let out a growl, his voice low but full of weight as it carried to Goku, "One more step, and I blow us all to pieces."
Goku froze, taking in the precarious situation. Dodoria was smart, a hardened warrior and quick--Vegeta had told Goku himself. He also knew that Dodoria knew he was on the losing side of this battle, and his chances of escaping with his life were slim. All he had to do was drop that torch and BOOM. Everything, everybody above them, or around these barrels--they would be dead. Dodoria really had nothing to lose by killing them all, including himself.
Goku cursed, wishing he had a gun for the first time all day. Dodoria was standing at the back of the barrels, and if he could have levered a shot off, he could have chanced the torch flying out of Dodoria's hands away from he gunpowder. But all he had was his sword. Did he dare throw it at the torch? What if he missed like he had earlier and the torch fell to the side--within inches of the gunpowder? Goku did not have to be a genius to figure out that would be all the gunpowder would need to explode. So he froze, weighing his options.
Dodoria cocked the gun in his hand as he took the man in, "Very good. Now, put your weapon down." Goku went to move, and Dodoria spoke again, "Slowly now--slowly." When it was down, he motioned with the gun not stupid enough to shoot at Goku as he stood at the middle of the barrels. The spark from his flint would be all it would take to blow them all to pieces, "Now come out of there. Keep your hands up."
Goku followed the orders with a grim look on his face, knowing he needed to think of something fast, or else he really would be dead. He considered lunging for the man when he came from around the barrels, but the torch was too precariously held. Dodoria had motioned for him to come around the back of the barrels, so that Dodoria turned his back on the barrels--if Goku lunged for him now, the torch would fall right into the gunpowder.
Goku gritted his teeth as Dodoria finally spoke when Goku now stood at the back of the cave, "Good, that's good enough." Dodoria wore the world's most obnoxious smirk (or maybe it just felt that way to Goku) as he said, "Any last words, fool?"
Goku only narrowed his eyes, looking straight past Dodoria as he felt spark of hope ignite in him as he saw movement at the mouth of the tunnel they had entered in through. When he realized who, and what that movement was, Goku only smirked for a half a second before he said, "Yeah. DIVE!" Goku followed his own advice, jumping low to the ground and out of the way of Dodoria's gun.
Before Dodoria could process the words, Nappa had taken aim and shot the man in the back left shoulder, causing the torch to be thrown away from the barrels--and right into Goku's outstretched hand on the ground. Goku moved quickly, before Dodoria could shoot, grabbing the torch as it was in midair and stabbing it up as if it were a sword as he jumped up, right into the fat man's face.
The scream and the smell of singed flesh and hair hit Goku's nose, even as he grabbed the man's jacket, pulling him into the torch and further away from the barrels so a stray spark did not shoot them all to early graves. Only when they were away did Goku throw the torch harmlessly into the ground behind him, pulling the man into a headlock with his arms, before he gritted his teeth as he repeated the words the fat man had just asked him, "Any last words, fat man?"
Goku did not wait before he felt the primal urge rip through him, his arms turning, as he snapped the man's neck away from his spine, killing the man instantly, the dead weight in his arms, and the burning skin of the man's face hurting Goku--not that he noticed as he tossed the body to the side.
Nappa ran up, respect and admiration in his eyes as he took in what Goku had done, handing Goku the sword he had picked up. Goku took the sword from him, only saying, "Nice shot. Come on--Vegeta was running after Frieza this way."
Nappa wasted no time in heading deeper into the tunnels, Goku at his heels, the beast inside of him screaming for more.
~~&~~
A/N: So this chapter has a lot of running around--but Frieza is a smart man and is not going to let himself get cornered that easily, ya know? As for Goku's more aggressive nature than usual--well I blame Bulma's influence (and my desire for him to be a badass). That's all this time folks, next time we catch up to Vegeta and (hopefully) Frieza!