Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Hybrid ❯ Inside Man ( Chapter 23 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Ravenreux 
Celipa gets a reality check and Zarbon grudgingly gives Frieza some vital intel.
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.28.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 471 | Status: Completed
Celipa gets a reality check and Zarbon grudgingly gives Frieza some vital intel.
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.28.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 471 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ...Akira Toriyama does...and that's not my name...so bad luck for me.
Chapter 23
She was so consumed with her thoughts that she took the jab straight in the face.
For the third time.
By now the blood was flowing freely and splattered all over her mouth, dripping off her chin in thick drops. Running her tongue along her lips, she spat out the blood with disgust.
Her sparring partner watched her curiously. "Are you feeling well?"
Celipa growled. "I'm fine." She hissed through her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him.
Raditz debated whether or not to ask if she'd like to continue until she lashed out with her heel. The kick glanced off his temple and he staggered back a step in surprise. Her offensive continued with a series of swift punches combined with a variety of spinning kicks. Her execution was flawless and for a moment he thought that she'd been playing him all along.
But her guard weakened and he delivered a powerful blow to her abdomen.
Celipa grunted as the muscles knotted painfully, but refused to fall to her knees. In the time it took her to glower at him, she recovered her breath. The look of concern on his face made her already quivering stomach turn. He looks like he's about to apologize. Forcing herself to straighten up, she rolled her tense neck. There was no one besides herself to blame for her mistakes. As an adult Saiyan female, she should be able to defend herself- even in training. The fault lied with her if she failed and he knew it.
But it didn't seem to hinder his attempts at apologizing anyway. "Celipa, I'm-"
"Don't you fucking dare!" She dropped to the floor and spun, heel singing outward to knock him off his feet. The speed of her attack shocked him and he was thrown to the hard metallic floor. Leaping upward from her crouch, she drove her knee towards his face. His hands blurred into motion, catching her and throwing her back.
Celipa tucked into a backward somersault and shot a two-handed blast of brilliant green energy at him as he tried to follow. He knocked it aside easily and they hung suspended in the air, staring at one another. Celipa could feel more of the heavy wetness streaming down her face, but ignored it. The pain that went with it was all but nonexistent to her now. All her concentration was focused on the long-haired Saiyan opposite her.
His nearly black brown eyes gauged her cautiously before he settled back down to the training room floor. There was something hanging on her mind, but he couldn't figure out what it might be. She was reluctant to delve into the power of their bond, and without it her thoughts were off-limits. She wouldn't have been so easily distracted by something trivial.
But there was a way to find out. He dusted the soot off his arms and started to stretch. "That will be all today."
To say she was shocked was an understatement. Her mouth hung open for nearly a minute before she realized it and snapped it shut. "What?!" She dropped to the floor and stalked towards him. "We've only been here for an hour!"
"Correct."
"We just started!"
He smirked down at her enraged face. "Perhaps you have, but I've worn myself out using your face as a punching bag."
The fur of her long umber tail bristled to stand on end, effectively making it three times its normal width. "Do you want me to strangle you to death?" She was snarling now. "You're very close to pissing me off."
She was always more willing to speak without thinking when her body was vibrating with rage. As it is right now. "What were you thinking about earlier?"
She was about to lunge at him when the drastic change of subject rocked her back on her heels. It did little to dampen her anger to know he was trying to manipulate her. Yaro. "What the fuck do you care?"
His hard-planed countenance frowned with disappointment and it took all her internal strength not to reach over and smash it into her knee. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I've never seen you so distracted before. Had I been after you life, I would have taken it with extreme ease."
Celipa mad a flippant gesture with her hand. "Yes, Father. Scold me."
"I'm serious."
"When aren't you?" She planted her hands on her hips. "And how the hell would you know if this isn't normal for me?"
"I spoke to Bulma about you."
Celipa froze and felt her heart jump in her chest. "Oh." Clenching her fists, she grinned wickedly. "You fucking baka."
He seemed taken aback by her response. "What the hell did I do?"
She couldn't hold it in anymore and exploded, crackling the air around her with energy. "If you wanted to fucking know something, then you should've fucking asked!" Her tail jerked around like it was being periodically shocked by electricity. "Don't go behind my back!"
Raditz was thoroughly vexed. "I thought she was your friend."
"Friend?" Her voice dripped with incredulousness. Laughing bitterly, she turned to the door. "Ask her yourself if you don't believe me, but just because we're allies doesn't mean we're friends."
She left him standing stoically and told herself that statement wasn't a lie. From the moment they'd met their personalities had clashed violently. The bond that most female Saiyans had each other was absent from their relationship and it baffled her. They could very well be the last two Saiyan females left in the universe and were constantly at each other's throats. That didn't seem to be exactly healthy to her.
Striding through the echoing corridors, she directed herself toward the infirmary. She couldn't very well do anything until her nose stopped bleeding. Using the back of her hand, she swiped away the blood on her chin and only really succeeded in smearing it more. Celipa rolled her eyes at her own ineptitude and shoved the swinging door open with the heel of her hand. The antiseptic scent hit her immediately and solidified her distaste for medical suites. Scanning the room with disinterested eyes, she spied Bulma at the makeshift lab station she'd set up earlier in the week. The DemiSaiyan said it was to help out an old friend, but Celipa knew better. That was just the excuse she used to indulge her 'mad-scientist' habit. That and her custom for meddling in others' affairs.
She watched for a moment, amused at how zoned out and into her own five by five foot world she was immersed. Her refined features were pinched with what looked like an overly intense concentration. Celipa had seen Bulma in action and lab work always came easy to her. She highly doubted that what she was doing was that technical- a fighter ship's infirmary could hardly accommodate any serious experimentation.
No, I bet she has other things on her mind. She walked over to the medicine chest and rummaged around for clotting spray. She would bet her Saiyan uncle (had he been alive) that her thoughts all revolved around one spiky-haired commander with a big enough ego to smother an entire galaxy. She had a pretty good inclining of what had occurred out in the mountains; judging from the sizeable bite mark imprinted on her skin. Bulma had taken no pains to conceal it, and from the way the two had been avoiding each other for the past few days, she'd done it out of spite. How childish. She found the nasal spray hidden on the third shelf and quickly administered it to her leaking nose.
It wasn't until she crossed to the sink to clean her face with a moist rag that the other woman noticed her presence. She pushed her chair back. "Hey."
Celipa quickly cleaned her face and tossed the dirty rag away. "I was just leaving." She strode from the room and heard Bulma mumble 'bitch' under her breath. Sure, it had been rude, but hadn't she just explained to Raditz that she wasn't her friend? Celipa didn't like lying and having a pleasant conversation with Bulma might give her the wrong idea. If I hadn't opened my big mouth, I wouldn't have to walk around like a total bitch all the time.
She wandered up towards her quarters and wondered why she was acting so hostile. No one here had threatened her; if anything, Raditz's comments were intended to tease her. And Bulma had been a trusted ally for over a decade. Locking herself in her bathroom, she stripped off her blood-stained clothes and stepped under the punishing hot spray of the shower.
Perhaps she was the reason that she always felt so confrontational?
Self-loathing had her scrubbing viciously at her skin as if it could possibly remove all her unsavory habits with mere soap.
Mild pain made her finally stop and realize what she was doing. Fuck me. Soap and water won't fix anything. She had to do it herself.
Across the universe
He was going mad.
He couldn't believe that something as simple as capturing a few stray rebels and punishing some wayward military primates could be so out of his control. He was the fucking Emperor, for Kami-sakes!
Frieza twisted his hapless victim's arm, snapping the shoulder joint with ease. The servant bucked fruitlessly in his grip and screamed silently. The changeling frowned and flicked his coldly raging eyes to the gaping hole in its throat. Blood was plastered all over the creature's body and the puddle beneath it was smeared by its struggles. "Perhaps I shouldn't have torn out your pathetic throat." Piteous screams were just so much more satisfying. Jerking his arm upward, he planted an ugly three-toed foot on the servant's chest and pulled.
The creature struggled as the muscle and sinew protested, tearing sharply enough to be audible. The tissues eventually relinquished to his wrath. The life-giving liquid sprayed anew as the skin tore and the tendons gave way under the pressure. The servant's eyes rolled back into his head as it fell unconscious into a growing lake of blood.
Frieza sneered at the thick, congealing fluid coating the front of his body. "Vile, disgusting creature." He tossed the severed limb over his shoulder like a picked-clean drumstick. "How disappointing."
"What did you expect?"
He turned cold eyes on the sibling reclining on his throne. "Shut your trap, Cooler, or I'll do it for you."
"So intimidating." He slid to his feet and slipped languidly down the steps to stand beside him. "Perhaps you should try a slightly more," He grimaced as he poked the mutilated body with his tail. "Resilient victim."
"You'd do nicely." Frieza held up a blood-encrusted hand and clenched a fist.
"Really, brother." He sighed. "What has caused this uncharacteristic lapse of homicidial control?"
"What the fuck do you care? It was one lowly servant." He glared at his taller and equally lizard-like sibling. "And since when do I answer to you?" Why was it that everyone seemed to be undermining his authority?
"Forgive me, Lord Frieza. I have forgotten my place." He bowed elegantly, winking as he did so.
His placating tone ground on his raw nerves and tested his patience. "I won't hesitate to put your head on a pike." He gestured towards the numerous trophy head lining the hall's walls. "You'd fit in nicely."
Cooler seemed to finally get the message and stepped away. "It is behavior like this that made Otousan send me."
The diminutive Emperor laughed. "Like you could really do anything about it. Or that he could for that matter." His feminine voice dropped a few octaves. "I answer to no one."
Cooler eyed the slain servant. "As you have so grotesquely demonstrated."
"Offended?" Frieza strode over to his throne and sat down. "Too bad."
His taller brother started to wander about, observing the various hides adorning the walls among the heads. "I've heard rumors that you have an inside man working amongst your little monkey traitors."
Frieza grunted. "Yes?"
He stopped walking and glanced out of the corner of his eye. "It it true that you could find out their location, but for some reason choose not to?"
"Nappa may be an empty-headed rat, but he is still a Saiyan buffoon." He tapped clawed fingers against his chin. "He is still protecting his commander in some perverse Saiyan way and if I try to interfere, Vegeta will undoubtedly catch wind of it." He flexed his clawed hands in frustration. "That infuriating monkey prince is becoming harder and harder to control and no doubt getting stronger by the day."
"You do remember the warning Otousan gave you about the Saiyans?"
"Do you think me a fool, Cooler?" He dropped his hand and stared emptily at the other changeling.
"No."
"Good."
A resounding knock on the hall door's instantly diffused the tension humming throughout the room. Frieza got to his feet. "What?!"
A meek female servant slipped through the doors and stood shaking. They were both surprised when she bowed and managed to remain standing. Keeping her eyes riveted on the floor and away from the Emperor and the carnage, she addressed him shakily. "Milord, Colonel Zarbon has returned and requests a meeting with you."
Frieza's cold eyes narrowed suspiciously. What the hell is that fool doing back here? He mulled it over for a moment and nodded. Here is my 'more resilient' victim. "Very well. Send him in."
The brothers stood side by side on the dais and watched the pale green officer stride down the carpet. Zarbon eyed the unrecognizable creature decaying on the floor before turning to acknowledge the Emperor. "Milord."
Frieza looked him over almost serenely. "Well, well. What a pleasant surprise? To what do I own the pleasure of your company?"
Zarbon swallowed thickly. The Emperor was hardly ever this easy-going and the slightly demented gleam in his eye had him sweating. "It came to my attention that there was some information that I thought could not be shared over trans-communication."
"Is that right?" Frieza leaned forward eagerly. "Please, do tell why you thought it necessary to disobey a direct order."
"Milord, I thought that-"
"You thought what?" He gracefully moved to stand and stepped down the dais to approach him. "Come now, Zarbon. Have you truly forgotten who gives the orders in this universe?" He blurred forward and slammed a fist into his solar plexus. "Hm?"
Zarbon flew backward and skidded across the thickly woven carpet, scalding his mutant skin. Air refused to enter his lungs and he lay there gasping. I am such a fool. To think I came here to warn him. Crawling to his knees, he clutched at his midsection and met the cool blank face of the pale changeling. "No...Milord."
Frieza chuckled at the croaking voice. "You finally have the voice to match that ugly, amphibious appearance." He knelt down in front of him. "What orders did I assign you?"
Cooler cleared his throat. "Frieza, I don't believe this is necessary."
The opaque lizard whirled, firing a dark blast without blinking. His brother managed to dodge the attack, but his right arm was severely burned. Frieza smirked. "That is why I am the Emperor and you never will." He glanced over his shoulder. "Now, as I was saying..."
Zarbon struggled to his feet and met the gaze of the madman. "I was to locate and kill the traitors by any means necessary. I was not to return until I had completed that task."
Frieza pinched his features in mock thought. "If those were my orders and you are here standing before me," His glare blazed. "Then where are the heads of those Saiyans!"
"Probably still attached to their bodies, Milord." The sarcastic response earned him a whipping blow from his tail, careening him into the stout, marble walls. He almost laughed as he crumpled to the floor, blood filling his mouth.
"If you desire your life you would refrain from cheeky answers, Zarbon. I will not tolerate disobedience." He crossed his arms and bowed his head. He already had his most powerful warriors rebelling against him. Any more and the shadow of being overthrown loomed ever more possible over his mind. An example must be made. He opened his eyes and strode toward his Colonel. Who better to prove my wrath than the soldiers' beloved Colonel? "It is time you learned your lesson."
Cooler watched with unease. "Do you really plan on murdering one of your best men?"
"Zarbon has defied me." He latched his tail around the struggling mutant's neck and hoisted him off the ground. "Only death can save him now."
Zarbon wanted to scream about how much of a mistake the Emperor was making. I'm not the one he should be killing! He tried to speak, but the vice-like appendage squeezed his vocal-chords ever tighter.
"He spoke of information, brother." Cooler boldly stepped up beside his sibling. "The kind that only your ears can hear."
Frieza hesitated to administer his killing blow. That's right. He cocked his head to the left and loosened his tail slightly. "That's right, isn't it? I also ordered you to gather intelligence on the Saiyan rebels."
"Y...yes...Milord." Zarbon hung limply, tongue swelling in his mouth.
"Well, speak would you!" He rattled the gagging mutant. "Before I change my mind!"
Zarbon almost smiled. "It occurred...to me...that," He took in a shuddering breath. "I knew...who...the blue-haired...DemiSaiyan's sire was."
"Why the hell should I care who her fucking sire was? It makes no difference to me."
The Colonel shook his head. "You...know him."
Frieza chuckled. "I know a lot of men fool, none of them Saiyans capable of being her sire." He tightened his tail on his windpipe.
"No!" Zarbon squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. "Her mother was the Saiyan!"
"Her mother? Interesting." He tapped his chin in thought. "That brings up an entire slew of possibilities." He shook him. "Now tell me!"
"Her sire...is," He panted, sweat pouring off his brow. "Your...Scientific...Advisor."
Frieza's tail released him immediately as he stepped back with shock. "That lowly human!"
Cooler tried to hide his amusement. "It seems it was pertinent information."
"Shut up!" Frieza whirled away from them both, stalking towards his throne. This opens up my options hugely. He grinned like a kid on Christmas as he sat down with a flourish. "It's a small universe after all."
And as if this was some immensely funny joke, his cackling laughter slithered throughout the palace to shiver the spines of even the most hardened warriors.
A/N: Once again, I am here apologizing for a long-awaited update. I've had this written out for some time, but procrastinated the actually typing of it. I'm glad to say though, that I did manage to update before the end of the month. Now, as for the fic, these last three chapters have given you some stuff to contemplate...and I hope you do...because the next chapter starts off three months after this one. I know it kinda keeps you in the dark, but it makes it all the more thrilling.
Reviewer Acknowledgements- Thank you so very much for your support. I value your reviews very, very much. I hope you'll continue to let me know how you like the fic.
P.S. I don't know if any of you are InuYasha fans...but I have a new fic ~Suffer The Fray~ up in that category. It was interfering w/my brain and writing this fic, so I decided to just run w/it. Go take a peek if you want and let me know whatcha think.
Reux
Chapter 23
She was so consumed with her thoughts that she took the jab straight in the face.
For the third time.
By now the blood was flowing freely and splattered all over her mouth, dripping off her chin in thick drops. Running her tongue along her lips, she spat out the blood with disgust.
Her sparring partner watched her curiously. "Are you feeling well?"
Celipa growled. "I'm fine." She hissed through her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him.
Raditz debated whether or not to ask if she'd like to continue until she lashed out with her heel. The kick glanced off his temple and he staggered back a step in surprise. Her offensive continued with a series of swift punches combined with a variety of spinning kicks. Her execution was flawless and for a moment he thought that she'd been playing him all along.
But her guard weakened and he delivered a powerful blow to her abdomen.
Celipa grunted as the muscles knotted painfully, but refused to fall to her knees. In the time it took her to glower at him, she recovered her breath. The look of concern on his face made her already quivering stomach turn. He looks like he's about to apologize. Forcing herself to straighten up, she rolled her tense neck. There was no one besides herself to blame for her mistakes. As an adult Saiyan female, she should be able to defend herself- even in training. The fault lied with her if she failed and he knew it.
But it didn't seem to hinder his attempts at apologizing anyway. "Celipa, I'm-"
"Don't you fucking dare!" She dropped to the floor and spun, heel singing outward to knock him off his feet. The speed of her attack shocked him and he was thrown to the hard metallic floor. Leaping upward from her crouch, she drove her knee towards his face. His hands blurred into motion, catching her and throwing her back.
Celipa tucked into a backward somersault and shot a two-handed blast of brilliant green energy at him as he tried to follow. He knocked it aside easily and they hung suspended in the air, staring at one another. Celipa could feel more of the heavy wetness streaming down her face, but ignored it. The pain that went with it was all but nonexistent to her now. All her concentration was focused on the long-haired Saiyan opposite her.
His nearly black brown eyes gauged her cautiously before he settled back down to the training room floor. There was something hanging on her mind, but he couldn't figure out what it might be. She was reluctant to delve into the power of their bond, and without it her thoughts were off-limits. She wouldn't have been so easily distracted by something trivial.
But there was a way to find out. He dusted the soot off his arms and started to stretch. "That will be all today."
To say she was shocked was an understatement. Her mouth hung open for nearly a minute before she realized it and snapped it shut. "What?!" She dropped to the floor and stalked towards him. "We've only been here for an hour!"
"Correct."
"We just started!"
He smirked down at her enraged face. "Perhaps you have, but I've worn myself out using your face as a punching bag."
The fur of her long umber tail bristled to stand on end, effectively making it three times its normal width. "Do you want me to strangle you to death?" She was snarling now. "You're very close to pissing me off."
She was always more willing to speak without thinking when her body was vibrating with rage. As it is right now. "What were you thinking about earlier?"
She was about to lunge at him when the drastic change of subject rocked her back on her heels. It did little to dampen her anger to know he was trying to manipulate her. Yaro. "What the fuck do you care?"
His hard-planed countenance frowned with disappointment and it took all her internal strength not to reach over and smash it into her knee. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I've never seen you so distracted before. Had I been after you life, I would have taken it with extreme ease."
Celipa mad a flippant gesture with her hand. "Yes, Father. Scold me."
"I'm serious."
"When aren't you?" She planted her hands on her hips. "And how the hell would you know if this isn't normal for me?"
"I spoke to Bulma about you."
Celipa froze and felt her heart jump in her chest. "Oh." Clenching her fists, she grinned wickedly. "You fucking baka."
He seemed taken aback by her response. "What the hell did I do?"
She couldn't hold it in anymore and exploded, crackling the air around her with energy. "If you wanted to fucking know something, then you should've fucking asked!" Her tail jerked around like it was being periodically shocked by electricity. "Don't go behind my back!"
Raditz was thoroughly vexed. "I thought she was your friend."
"Friend?" Her voice dripped with incredulousness. Laughing bitterly, she turned to the door. "Ask her yourself if you don't believe me, but just because we're allies doesn't mean we're friends."
She left him standing stoically and told herself that statement wasn't a lie. From the moment they'd met their personalities had clashed violently. The bond that most female Saiyans had each other was absent from their relationship and it baffled her. They could very well be the last two Saiyan females left in the universe and were constantly at each other's throats. That didn't seem to be exactly healthy to her.
Striding through the echoing corridors, she directed herself toward the infirmary. She couldn't very well do anything until her nose stopped bleeding. Using the back of her hand, she swiped away the blood on her chin and only really succeeded in smearing it more. Celipa rolled her eyes at her own ineptitude and shoved the swinging door open with the heel of her hand. The antiseptic scent hit her immediately and solidified her distaste for medical suites. Scanning the room with disinterested eyes, she spied Bulma at the makeshift lab station she'd set up earlier in the week. The DemiSaiyan said it was to help out an old friend, but Celipa knew better. That was just the excuse she used to indulge her 'mad-scientist' habit. That and her custom for meddling in others' affairs.
She watched for a moment, amused at how zoned out and into her own five by five foot world she was immersed. Her refined features were pinched with what looked like an overly intense concentration. Celipa had seen Bulma in action and lab work always came easy to her. She highly doubted that what she was doing was that technical- a fighter ship's infirmary could hardly accommodate any serious experimentation.
No, I bet she has other things on her mind. She walked over to the medicine chest and rummaged around for clotting spray. She would bet her Saiyan uncle (had he been alive) that her thoughts all revolved around one spiky-haired commander with a big enough ego to smother an entire galaxy. She had a pretty good inclining of what had occurred out in the mountains; judging from the sizeable bite mark imprinted on her skin. Bulma had taken no pains to conceal it, and from the way the two had been avoiding each other for the past few days, she'd done it out of spite. How childish. She found the nasal spray hidden on the third shelf and quickly administered it to her leaking nose.
It wasn't until she crossed to the sink to clean her face with a moist rag that the other woman noticed her presence. She pushed her chair back. "Hey."
Celipa quickly cleaned her face and tossed the dirty rag away. "I was just leaving." She strode from the room and heard Bulma mumble 'bitch' under her breath. Sure, it had been rude, but hadn't she just explained to Raditz that she wasn't her friend? Celipa didn't like lying and having a pleasant conversation with Bulma might give her the wrong idea. If I hadn't opened my big mouth, I wouldn't have to walk around like a total bitch all the time.
She wandered up towards her quarters and wondered why she was acting so hostile. No one here had threatened her; if anything, Raditz's comments were intended to tease her. And Bulma had been a trusted ally for over a decade. Locking herself in her bathroom, she stripped off her blood-stained clothes and stepped under the punishing hot spray of the shower.
Perhaps she was the reason that she always felt so confrontational?
Self-loathing had her scrubbing viciously at her skin as if it could possibly remove all her unsavory habits with mere soap.
Mild pain made her finally stop and realize what she was doing. Fuck me. Soap and water won't fix anything. She had to do it herself.
Across the universe
He was going mad.
He couldn't believe that something as simple as capturing a few stray rebels and punishing some wayward military primates could be so out of his control. He was the fucking Emperor, for Kami-sakes!
Frieza twisted his hapless victim's arm, snapping the shoulder joint with ease. The servant bucked fruitlessly in his grip and screamed silently. The changeling frowned and flicked his coldly raging eyes to the gaping hole in its throat. Blood was plastered all over the creature's body and the puddle beneath it was smeared by its struggles. "Perhaps I shouldn't have torn out your pathetic throat." Piteous screams were just so much more satisfying. Jerking his arm upward, he planted an ugly three-toed foot on the servant's chest and pulled.
The creature struggled as the muscle and sinew protested, tearing sharply enough to be audible. The tissues eventually relinquished to his wrath. The life-giving liquid sprayed anew as the skin tore and the tendons gave way under the pressure. The servant's eyes rolled back into his head as it fell unconscious into a growing lake of blood.
Frieza sneered at the thick, congealing fluid coating the front of his body. "Vile, disgusting creature." He tossed the severed limb over his shoulder like a picked-clean drumstick. "How disappointing."
"What did you expect?"
He turned cold eyes on the sibling reclining on his throne. "Shut your trap, Cooler, or I'll do it for you."
"So intimidating." He slid to his feet and slipped languidly down the steps to stand beside him. "Perhaps you should try a slightly more," He grimaced as he poked the mutilated body with his tail. "Resilient victim."
"You'd do nicely." Frieza held up a blood-encrusted hand and clenched a fist.
"Really, brother." He sighed. "What has caused this uncharacteristic lapse of homicidial control?"
"What the fuck do you care? It was one lowly servant." He glared at his taller and equally lizard-like sibling. "And since when do I answer to you?" Why was it that everyone seemed to be undermining his authority?
"Forgive me, Lord Frieza. I have forgotten my place." He bowed elegantly, winking as he did so.
His placating tone ground on his raw nerves and tested his patience. "I won't hesitate to put your head on a pike." He gestured towards the numerous trophy head lining the hall's walls. "You'd fit in nicely."
Cooler seemed to finally get the message and stepped away. "It is behavior like this that made Otousan send me."
The diminutive Emperor laughed. "Like you could really do anything about it. Or that he could for that matter." His feminine voice dropped a few octaves. "I answer to no one."
Cooler eyed the slain servant. "As you have so grotesquely demonstrated."
"Offended?" Frieza strode over to his throne and sat down. "Too bad."
His taller brother started to wander about, observing the various hides adorning the walls among the heads. "I've heard rumors that you have an inside man working amongst your little monkey traitors."
Frieza grunted. "Yes?"
He stopped walking and glanced out of the corner of his eye. "It it true that you could find out their location, but for some reason choose not to?"
"Nappa may be an empty-headed rat, but he is still a Saiyan buffoon." He tapped clawed fingers against his chin. "He is still protecting his commander in some perverse Saiyan way and if I try to interfere, Vegeta will undoubtedly catch wind of it." He flexed his clawed hands in frustration. "That infuriating monkey prince is becoming harder and harder to control and no doubt getting stronger by the day."
"You do remember the warning Otousan gave you about the Saiyans?"
"Do you think me a fool, Cooler?" He dropped his hand and stared emptily at the other changeling.
"No."
"Good."
A resounding knock on the hall door's instantly diffused the tension humming throughout the room. Frieza got to his feet. "What?!"
A meek female servant slipped through the doors and stood shaking. They were both surprised when she bowed and managed to remain standing. Keeping her eyes riveted on the floor and away from the Emperor and the carnage, she addressed him shakily. "Milord, Colonel Zarbon has returned and requests a meeting with you."
Frieza's cold eyes narrowed suspiciously. What the hell is that fool doing back here? He mulled it over for a moment and nodded. Here is my 'more resilient' victim. "Very well. Send him in."
The brothers stood side by side on the dais and watched the pale green officer stride down the carpet. Zarbon eyed the unrecognizable creature decaying on the floor before turning to acknowledge the Emperor. "Milord."
Frieza looked him over almost serenely. "Well, well. What a pleasant surprise? To what do I own the pleasure of your company?"
Zarbon swallowed thickly. The Emperor was hardly ever this easy-going and the slightly demented gleam in his eye had him sweating. "It came to my attention that there was some information that I thought could not be shared over trans-communication."
"Is that right?" Frieza leaned forward eagerly. "Please, do tell why you thought it necessary to disobey a direct order."
"Milord, I thought that-"
"You thought what?" He gracefully moved to stand and stepped down the dais to approach him. "Come now, Zarbon. Have you truly forgotten who gives the orders in this universe?" He blurred forward and slammed a fist into his solar plexus. "Hm?"
Zarbon flew backward and skidded across the thickly woven carpet, scalding his mutant skin. Air refused to enter his lungs and he lay there gasping. I am such a fool. To think I came here to warn him. Crawling to his knees, he clutched at his midsection and met the cool blank face of the pale changeling. "No...Milord."
Frieza chuckled at the croaking voice. "You finally have the voice to match that ugly, amphibious appearance." He knelt down in front of him. "What orders did I assign you?"
Cooler cleared his throat. "Frieza, I don't believe this is necessary."
The opaque lizard whirled, firing a dark blast without blinking. His brother managed to dodge the attack, but his right arm was severely burned. Frieza smirked. "That is why I am the Emperor and you never will." He glanced over his shoulder. "Now, as I was saying..."
Zarbon struggled to his feet and met the gaze of the madman. "I was to locate and kill the traitors by any means necessary. I was not to return until I had completed that task."
Frieza pinched his features in mock thought. "If those were my orders and you are here standing before me," His glare blazed. "Then where are the heads of those Saiyans!"
"Probably still attached to their bodies, Milord." The sarcastic response earned him a whipping blow from his tail, careening him into the stout, marble walls. He almost laughed as he crumpled to the floor, blood filling his mouth.
"If you desire your life you would refrain from cheeky answers, Zarbon. I will not tolerate disobedience." He crossed his arms and bowed his head. He already had his most powerful warriors rebelling against him. Any more and the shadow of being overthrown loomed ever more possible over his mind. An example must be made. He opened his eyes and strode toward his Colonel. Who better to prove my wrath than the soldiers' beloved Colonel? "It is time you learned your lesson."
Cooler watched with unease. "Do you really plan on murdering one of your best men?"
"Zarbon has defied me." He latched his tail around the struggling mutant's neck and hoisted him off the ground. "Only death can save him now."
Zarbon wanted to scream about how much of a mistake the Emperor was making. I'm not the one he should be killing! He tried to speak, but the vice-like appendage squeezed his vocal-chords ever tighter.
"He spoke of information, brother." Cooler boldly stepped up beside his sibling. "The kind that only your ears can hear."
Frieza hesitated to administer his killing blow. That's right. He cocked his head to the left and loosened his tail slightly. "That's right, isn't it? I also ordered you to gather intelligence on the Saiyan rebels."
"Y...yes...Milord." Zarbon hung limply, tongue swelling in his mouth.
"Well, speak would you!" He rattled the gagging mutant. "Before I change my mind!"
Zarbon almost smiled. "It occurred...to me...that," He took in a shuddering breath. "I knew...who...the blue-haired...DemiSaiyan's sire was."
"Why the hell should I care who her fucking sire was? It makes no difference to me."
The Colonel shook his head. "You...know him."
Frieza chuckled. "I know a lot of men fool, none of them Saiyans capable of being her sire." He tightened his tail on his windpipe.
"No!" Zarbon squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. "Her mother was the Saiyan!"
"Her mother? Interesting." He tapped his chin in thought. "That brings up an entire slew of possibilities." He shook him. "Now tell me!"
"Her sire...is," He panted, sweat pouring off his brow. "Your...Scientific...Advisor."
Frieza's tail released him immediately as he stepped back with shock. "That lowly human!"
Cooler tried to hide his amusement. "It seems it was pertinent information."
"Shut up!" Frieza whirled away from them both, stalking towards his throne. This opens up my options hugely. He grinned like a kid on Christmas as he sat down with a flourish. "It's a small universe after all."
And as if this was some immensely funny joke, his cackling laughter slithered throughout the palace to shiver the spines of even the most hardened warriors.
A/N: Once again, I am here apologizing for a long-awaited update. I've had this written out for some time, but procrastinated the actually typing of it. I'm glad to say though, that I did manage to update before the end of the month. Now, as for the fic, these last three chapters have given you some stuff to contemplate...and I hope you do...because the next chapter starts off three months after this one. I know it kinda keeps you in the dark, but it makes it all the more thrilling.
Reviewer Acknowledgements- Thank you so very much for your support. I value your reviews very, very much. I hope you'll continue to let me know how you like the fic.
P.S. I don't know if any of you are InuYasha fans...but I have a new fic ~Suffer The Fray~ up in that category. It was interfering w/my brain and writing this fic, so I decided to just run w/it. Go take a peek if you want and let me know whatcha think.
Reux