Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Wish For The Past ❯ We All Fall Down - AND OMAKE! ( Chapter 66 )

An angry crackle of torn and melted circuitry poured out of the gaping crater that Vegeta's ki blast had created in the floor. Hissing steam burst out of the naked pipes, lit up periodically by arcs of electricity jumping from one live wire to another, and the awful stench of burnt insulation filled the air.

Boom! BoomboomBOOM!

Four more explosions rocked the floating castle, the first three more muffled and distant than the last. A chain reaction, Bardock swore silently. Whatever it is that Vegeta hit, it's caused an overload in all the other systems in this place! This whole building could explode! Covering his nose and mouth with his shirt to protect his lungs from the smoke and whatever chemicals that might be poisoning the air, the adult Saiyan shouted, "We've gotta get out of here!" Keeping the cloth firmly in place with one hand, he used his other arm to scoop Goku up, knowing that the little boy's legs weren't long enough to keep up with his if he broke into a run. "Vegeta, forget about punishing them and just get out of here before this place collapses on our heads!"

"Waaahhh!! My castle!!" Pilaf's annoying voice screeched from somewhere in the ever-thickening cloud of fumes. The imp coughed a few times, then continued his wailing. "That stupid monkey's ruined my ca-aaahhh!"

What happened next would almost have been amusing, if it didn't hold such dire implications. Another explosion shook the entire fortress, and suddenly a sense of weightlessness overtook all six of them, and at first glance it appeared that they had all started floating. Pilaf, Mai, and Shao all waved their arms and legs wildly and yelled in alarm. The three Saiyans, much more used to experiencing flight, dealt with it more calmly... until Bardock realized exactly what was going on. They were in free fall. They weren't in some building firmly embedded in the ground, they were in a flying piece of architecture - which had suddenly become a falling death trap.

"Sire, we're going to crash into the ground!" the black haired woman shouted in an unintentional confirmation of Bardock's fears. Reaching out to snag one of the manacles hanging from the wall to stop herself from floating any higher, she extended an arm and snagged the small blue emperor by the back of his shirt. Behind her, the dog-like man followed suit. "Come on, we need to get to the escape copter!"

"Baka." Vegeta floated casually over to Bardock's side, smirking slightly at the older man. "We're not in any danger. We can just fly right out of here, in case you'd forgotten!"

"No, I hadn't forgotten, Vegeta," Bardock snapped, a little harsher than he had intended. "But in case you hadn't noticed, you just fried a bunch of machinery, and machinery often means chemicals and coolants. Not all of that smoke is harmless gasses, and I for one don't want to have my lungs poisoned! The longer we're in this place, the more likely that is. Now, I want you and Goku to cover your mouths and noses with your shirts and follow me." Using his ki to stabilize his free fall into controlled flight, the spiky haired warrior flew through the fog filled air straight for the door. "Besides, I don't think any of us want to be in this place when it hits the ground!"

Looking properly chastised, the ten year old prince admitted grudgingly, "I didn't think about that...."

"What about Pilaf and the others?" Goku asked through the cloth of his shirt, having pulled it up to cover his face like his father had told him to.

Bardock glanced down at his son, then back to where the three villains were... walking on the wall? What the hell?! Squinting his eyes to peer through the clouds of smoke, he looked more closely at the trio's feet. Well, more accurately, Mai's and Shao's feet, since the two were supporting the weight of their crippled leader. The trench coat clad woman took another step, heading in the direction of the ground, and suddenly Bardock saw that she had strapped some kind of suction cups on her feet, as had the dog-man. Where in the name of all that is sane did they pull those from and why would they just happen to be carrying them?? Bardock shook his head. "They appear to have things under control, Goku."

"Can we stop being concerned with the idiots that kidnapped us in the first place and just go?" With one hand holding his shirt to his nose and the other one gesturing impatiently toward the door, Vegeta somehow gave the impression of tapping his foot irritably while floating in the air.

Adjusting his one handed grip on his son to something more firm and stable, Bardock nodded wordlessly to the young prince even as he flew over to his side. Goku glanced back at Pilaf, Mai, and Shao and seemed satisfied by the progress they had made, because he didn't raise a second protest. Together, the three Saiyans carefully maneuvered themselves out of the room, avoiding the major clouds of gas and steam, and set off down the corridor in search of the exit.

The only problem with this plan of action, however, was that none of them knew the way out. Still carrying his son with one arm, Bardock sped through the halls with Vegeta not far behind, going as fast as they could manage without running into walls whenever they tried to turn corners. No words were exchanged, except when Bardock barked out a direction at each intersection they came to. Bardock wondered how high up in the air was, that it hadn't hit the ground yet even after falling for what seemed like hours but was in reality only a few minutes. Perhaps some of the devices that enable this place to fly are still working and are slowing our decent.... And still there was no sign of an exit anywhere! The three rounded another corner...

...and crashed right into another group of people.

"Oof!"

"Aaahh!! You great big hedgehog, I told you to slow down before going around corners!"

"Hedgehog?"

"Kuso!!"

"Grandpa!"

Blinking in surprise, it took a moment for Bardock to take the scene in. There was Bulma and Radditz, the former clinging to the back of the latter, who was floating in the air and rubbing his nose where he had impacted with Vegeta's head. The prince was clutching his own head while throwing the older boy an evil glare, muttering dark imprecations that Bardock was just as glad that he couldn't hear. And finally there was Goten, who had been the one to crash into Bardock's chest and now had his arms around the older man's neck in an enthusiastic hug.

Too enthusiastic. "Erk. Goten... can't... breathe...." Bardock gasped.

"Oops... sorry, grandpa," apologized Goten sheepishly as he loosened his grip around Bardock's neck. "I was just so worried! Me an' Trunks an' Bulma came back from shopping and everyone was gone but Radditz and he'd been knocked out and I couldn't sense your ki or Vegeta's or Goku's!!" Pausing the rush of words to take a breath, the eight year old boy gasped, "We thought you'd been kidnapped and we came to rescue you!"

"A little too late, you bakas," Vegeta remarked smugly. "But, then, we hardly needed rescuing in the first place. After all, I am the Saiya-jin no Ouji. I can take care of myself very well!"

"So well, in fact, that now we have to get the hell out of here before we're buried alive when this place collides with the ground," Bardock cut in dryly. "We don't have time to stand around here talking! Let's move!"

Knowing better than to argue with a good idea, the group of four Saiyans, one demi-Saiyan, and one human flew back the way Bulma, Goten, and Radditz had come from. Goten had detached himself from Bardock's neck and was now flying alongside his father and grandfather, and Bulma still clung tenaciously to Radditz's back.

"Don't worry, Goten," Goku was saying consolingly. "It's the thought that counts. I'm glad you an' Bulma an' niisan came to rescue us, even if we didn't need it. See, this way it's easier to find the way out, 'cause you guys already found the way in!"

Radditz glanced over at his brother and his nephew. "You know, if this place is going to be destroyed when it hits the ground anyway, and we're only trying to escape now, why can't we just blast our way out?" Almost as though he could sense Bulma forming a protest, he added, "And don't tell me we have to be careful of the machinery that's keeping this place floating! For all you know, we could be mere moments away from the ground. Every second counts, and I for one don't want to risk being in here when this place crashes!"

"You men," Bulma huffed. "That's your answer to everything, isn't it! Just blow anything up that gets in your way!"

"Radditz has a point, Bulma," Bardock swiftly cut in before his son and the blue haired girl could get into another fight. "Time is of the essence. Goten."

"Yes, grandpa?"

"Can you blast a hole all the way outside?"

The little boy nodded wordlessly and, hovering in the air, turned to face the wall he guessed was the closest to the outside world. Checking to make sure no one was too close to either him or his intended target, Goten flared into his Super Saiyan form, complete with the gold hair, teal eyes, and shining yellow aura. "Kaaa.... meee.... haaa.... meee..." With each syllable of the attack's name, he shifted his stance to accommodate the bright energy gathering between the palms of his hands, until at last he must have felt that there was enough energy to clear a path through the walls, machinery, and whatever all else might lie between them and freedom. "HAAA!!!" Blinding light filled the hall for a few seconds, then faded away to reveal a gaping hole easily wide enough for all six of them to pass through together. The new "passage way" extended about ten meters before opening up into empty air.

"That's perfect, Goten, thank you. All right, everyone, let's get out of here!" Flying through the newly made hole, Bardock led the group in their flight to safety. It didn't occur to him until after they were well outside of the falling fortress to wonder where Trunks was and why he wasn't with Goten, Bulma, and Radditz.

"Ah hah! Found 'em!" Trunks crowed triumphantly. Nestled safely in a pink cushioned box were four orange, almost seeming to glow with a strange inner light - the four star, the six star, the one star, and the two star dragonballs. All three of the dragonballs that had been stolen from them plus one other that the kidnappers must have found on their own, or stolen from someone else. It had been almost ridiculously easy to find them. The dragon radar had led the purple haired chibi straight to the room where they were kept in, a room that reminded Trunks of one of those throne rooms where royal people sit around and give orders. It hadn't taken long to notice the rather large and conspicuous safe set in one of the walls, and although Trunks didn't know the combination to open it, the door hadn't stood a chance against his super strength! Said door was now lying on the ground, torn from its hinges and completely beyond repair.

"Man, this is too easy!" he gloated to himself even as he put the lid back on the box the dragonballs were in and picked it up. "Whoever stole our dragonballs obviously didn't know what he was up against! I bet Goten's already found my dad, his grandpa, and his father and they're already on their way out. Well, looks like I'm done here!" Tucking the box under one arm, the nine year old Saiyan left the room and started retracing his steps back to where they had come into the fortress. He'd find a nice shady spot under a tree somewhere nearby and wait for the others to meet him there as they'd agreed.

Growing up in Capsule Corporation, a large and confusing building with a complex system of halls and stairs, Trunks had learned early on how to keep from getting lost in such a maze. If he had been somewhere once, he could almost always trace his footsteps back to it later. Of course, the larger the area or the more time had passed, the harder it was for him to accomplish this, but in this case the skill served him well and it only took Trunks a few minutes to get back outside the fortress. He had just found a comfortable spot underneath some kind of tree he couldn't identify, setting the box with the dragonballs down next to him, when he just happened to glance back up at the flying fortress.

Or, rather, the falling fortress.

"What the hell?!" he yelped, staring at the spectacle with wide eyes. He couldn't tell how long it had been falling - obviously sometime after he had gotten out of the place, because he would have noticed if it started falling while he was still inside! - but it looked to be only a matter of seconds before it impacted with the ground. "Aaahh!! Goten's still in there!!" Jumping to his feet, the young boy had every intention of racing back to the fortress to rescue his friends and family...

...but it was too late. With a resounding boom that rumbled through the air for miles around, the fortress crashed into the ground and exploded in a huge ball of flame, dust, and debris.

An anguished scream tore itself from Trunks's throat, irrational grief overwhelming his mind and triggering his Super Saiyan transformation. "NOOOOO!!!! Mom! Dad! GOTEN!!!" Falling to his knees, the now-blond child wept bitter tears of-

"Hey, Trunks, why'd you go Super? Did you run into a monster before we got here? No fair! I didn't even get a chance to fight!"

Hardly daring to believe his ears, Trunks whipped his head around. And there was Goten, grinning the same, cheerful grin that he always wore, and standing behind him were Bardock, Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, and Radditz, all completely unharmed without a single scratch anywhere.

(AN: As far as the story is concerned, this scene never happened. There will be no references to it in future chapters or stories. It is simply for your enjoyment.)

"I see you three are finally awake," the little gremlin sneered, strutting back and forth in front of his prisoners. "Did you have a
nice sleep? Yes, I suppose you did. The Thing has that kind of effect on people, you know." Smirking broadly, he snickered
and stopped pacing when he returned to the center of the room, facing the captive trio once again. Puffing his chest up
self-importantly, he announced, "As you probably know, I am the great Emperor Pilaf, and-"

"Hey, I remember you!" Goku interrupted him, pointing at the half-pint villain. "You're the guy who stole the dragonballs last time I was gathering them! You tried to bake me an' my friends in a giant oven!"

"Hey, now, that's not such a bad idea," Pilaf mused, rubbing his non-existent chin thoughtfully. "Monkey-boy cake!"

"Who the hell are you calling a cake?!" Vegeta snapped.

"Mmm... cake..." Goku drooled. A loud rumble filled the air, eliciting a sheepish look from the seven year old boy. "Oops. Hehe, sorry 'bout that. Guess I'm kinda hungry. Can I have some cake?"

"You little idiot, there isn't any cake! I'm going to turn you and your two friends into cake!" Pilaf screamed furiously.

"Who're you calling little, shorty?" Goku shot back, disappointed by the news that there wasn't any cake. His stomach gurgled plaintively. "Are you sure you don't have any cake?"

"I don't know about cake," Bardock commented, eyeing Pilaf with amusement, "but I think he looks a lot like a cream puff. A little on the doughy side, though. Obviously only half-baked." Cracking his knuckles with an evil smirk, the Saiyan warrior glanced at his son and Vegeta. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Vegeta grinned up at his mentor. "If it involves roasting the little shrimp until he's "well done", then, yes, I think I am thinking what you're thinking!"

This was just too much for Pilaf. "Wait just a minute, you three! You've got your roles all mixed up! I'm the jailer and you're my prisoners! I'm supposed to be thinking up ways to torture you, not the other way around!"

Bardock, Goku, and Vegeta all glanced at each other, then shrugged and ripped off the manacles that chained them to the wall as easily as tearing paper. "I guess we're not your prisoners anymore," Bardock chortled, enjoying the look of shocked horror on the blue midget's face.

"Grandpa!" a young voice yelled happily from the doorway. Everyone turned to look in the direction of the speaker, who turned out to be none other than Son Goten. "I'm here to rescue you!"

As soon as he caught sight of Goten, Pilaf's eyes bugged out of his head, flicking back and forth between the boy in the door and the boy who had formerly been chained to a wall. "AAAAHHH!!! THERE'S TWO OF HIM!!!" And on that melodramatic note, the poor Emperor Pilaf fainted dead away.

The four Saiyans eyed the fallen villain warily, then the three boys all turned to Bardock. "Hey, don't look at me!" he exclaimed, backing up nervously. "There's no way I'm paying for his therapy bills!"