Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or the characters attributed to the series

Author’s Note: I had thought it would be wrapped up in thirteen and an epilogue—but…and that is the operative word, as I wrote the rest of this story, I kept thinking of details that needed to be addressed so I added one more chapter. Consider this a teaser…the rest; the end of this story will be following very soon. It is all written except for a bit of filler. I hope you enjoy.

Forward/Public Announcement: This has been a story about a man who believed he was God and all-powerful. To some extent I used a cross between Hitler and Josef Mengele to draw up my version of Gero. Further down there are some details that some might find difficult. They are fairly mild, but allude to things that are of a horrible nature. I drew all of this from Mengele-The Angel Of Death and what he did were some of the most barbaric, atrocious things I have ever studied about. While my descriptions are mild, be assured that truth is not and it is something we must never forget.

CHAPTER TWELVE
Fear

Bulma sat the plane down at the base of the mountain that housed Gero’s hidden lab. Leaping nimbly from the vehicle, she dug through her pocketful of capsules until she found the one that contained her tools. Popping it open, she dug through the case until she found the one she was looking for. Pulling out yet another capsule, she held it up and smiled. Her father affectionately called it the digger. Designed for embedding and digging through rock, they had been commissioned to design the cutting edge machine for a group of Geologists who had come to her father and the Capsule Corporation looking for an easier, better way to dig into the stone they were attempting to study. She and her father had both readily agreed that something could be devised and so they had worked on the project together. The design was similar to a trencher, except Bulma had come up with the idea of making it in hover car form and where the trencher dug trenches in dirt, this little baby was made for drilling straight into rock and was actually fashioned with a diamond drill bit—a very large one. It would dig her right into the side of the mountain and with some luck sneak her in undetected. For her it would work perfectly to burrow into the mountain and enter the secret laboratory from the bottom.

The sound of an explosion echoing in the distance from some point above her drew her attention away from the capsule and she glanced skywards, unable to see anything. Was that Vegeta somewhere up there? She shut her eyes for a moment, concentrating, feeling him out. He had left the connection between them open and though he had not entered her mind once since she had last communicated with him, she had been able to feel the pounding emotions that were fueling him onward—the lust for battle, the joy of fighting—the satisfaction. As best she could tell, he had not been seriously wounded at all. Even now, the place in her that was reserved for him and him alone thrummed with potent vibrancy, letting her know in no uncertain terms that he was alive and well and having the time of his life. She wasn’t certain what it said about her that she was in love with a man who enjoyed killing so much; she only knew that she was powerless to stop the feelings she had for him. Perhaps it wasn’t that he enjoyed killing per say but that he enjoyed the battle, believed in the honor of death on the field—almost a throw back to the Samurai of old really. He merely saw killing as the inevitable price that came with fighting, used it when necessary and never regretted nor looked back on his actions. Well that wasn’t true either. He had told her something once, long ago in a moment of quiet peacefulness between them. It had been before they had ever slept together. She had sought him out not too long after the explosion that had destroyed the gravity room, her fascination and desire for him growing daily, her mind strangely attuned to the feelings of aloneness and emptiness that seemed to flow from him in thick black waves. He had been strangely calm that night and they had sat peacefully together on the balcony outside her room speaking of this and that until finally she had gathered the courage to speak of his days with Freeza and the pain and suffering he had afflicted on others in Freeza’s name.

"Do you regret your past, Vegeta—the things you did? The pain you caused?" She had asked quietly, the question seeming to come from nowhere. Truth be told, she had been upset, confused by the feelings of lust and caring that sparked to life whenever he came near her, unsure how it was she could have such desire for a man who had caused such misery to so many people, who had killed her friends, Yamcha included. She had been seeking for some way to absolve him, some way to validate her feelings and to silence her own conscious for ever wanting as man who could cause such misery.

"That’s not true woman, I regret plenty of things. I just don’t dwell on them—at least not much. I did what I did and that’s that." His voice had been unusually calm that night and he had turned those penetrating eyes on her, searing her with his look and nearly stopping her heart; letting her see for just one second in time all the hurt and pain and loneliness that was eating at his soul. It had been something different than the pride and anger he blanketed himself with and it had been her undoing for they had slept together only a week later and though he had been a temperamental ass through most of their storm-tossed relationship, was actually still a bastard most of the time, she had never looked back. It had been an uphill struggle to come to fully understand what made the man tick, but she felt now that she might have a grasp if only the most basic one on what motivated him and why.

He did regret much; Bulma knew…the biggest being his defeat by Goku’s hand, though she could hardly lament that loss. If Goku had not won, Vegeta would have destroyed Chikyuu and she would have been dead, her son would never have been born and Vegeta would never have been given the chance to change and grow. While he wasn’t exactly a saint by any scope of the word, he was also no longer the hired killer that had so happily gone and purged planets all of his life. And for all his talk she was fairly confident that he would never go back to that again, though there would always be the issue of defeating Goku. That desire would remain, pure and all consuming until he had either killed or defeated the younger Saiya-jin. It was one bridge that Bulma was not yet ready to cross and worrying about it now was fruitless. She had to remain focused on the task at hand. He had to survive Gero first and she had to help Goku find a way around that damn virus that Gero had given him before there could be any battles to the death. Bending down, she quickly encapsulated her toolbox and pocketed them, attempting to prepare herself for what came next.

Wasting no time she popped the capsule and hopped in, smiling as she started the motor and it roared to life, lifting into the air. Shifting into gear, she propelled the machine forward and watched as the drill bit slid into the rock. The metal of the tool rung as it hit the rock before slowly beginning to drill its way through. Bulma thanked Kami they had decided to make the small cabin enclosed as she watched pieces of rock fly past her. As the machine burrowed in, she felt herself enclosed by the cool blackness of the rock around her and she shuddered, beginning to feel the stirrings of claustrophobia. No, she couldn’t allow herself the luxury of feeling fear. To dwell on all the things that might happen would drive her crazy. But still…what if she got stuck in there? It was possible that the drill could break off. Though she was fairly positive that she would still be able to back it out if that happened. She and her father had tried to design the machine with as much strength as possible and to that affect they had sought out the strongest metals in the world for the drill bit. She just had to pray that everything went all right.

A sharp, grinding noise stopped her heart and she gasped as the machine faltered in its task. Swallowing back a thick lump of dread that shot up her body and clogged in her throat, she eased back on the throttle and reversed. She could do this, she could maneuver through this little opening and get inside and nothing would happen to her. Forcing back the shudder that ran through her, she slid the throttle forward and sent the machine onward at its fullest capacity. Shaking like a leaf in the cool, dimly lit interior of the machine she sat with baited breath as it ground hard against whatever stone was holding it up and with a harsh, creaking shudder finally lurched forward and made its way through.

Kami, that was close. She breathed to herself before shaking her head. She really needed to get a grip. After what seemed like hours but probably only amounted to a few minutes, the digger made it to the end of the end to the rock and slid out coming to hover just above the ground of what appeared to be a manmade tunnel. Using extreme caution, Bulma shut the machine down and slid out, peering cautiously around. Yes, she had definitely made it to a burrowed out tunnel. She was almost positive of it. She could assume that it was the inner labyrinth of Gero’s laboratory.

Inhaling deeply, she studied her surroundings in awe. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble, going so far as to smooth out the jagged points in the ground. How long had a project like this taken Gero? Had he been working on this since the end of his Red Ribbon Army days or had this already been here? Perhaps it was a natural formation within the mountain, one that Gero had found and made use of. She would probably never know.

Looking around her warily, Bulma took a few faltering steps to the right, startled to see a huge metal door in the rock. What in Kami’s name was this? Did she dare to open it? Reaching into the holster under her arm, she yanked out the stun gun she had brought, checking to make sure that the battery sources were on and ready.

She felt the briefest twinge of concern touch her mind, wisping through her brain like a faint summer breeze and she smiled faintly. Vegeta must have caught some of her fear and hesitancy as she had proceeded through the rock and into the tunnel. Sending out a reassuring signal she examined the keypad on the door. It needed a code. Lucky for her, she happened to have something for it.

Popping open the capsule that held her tools, she quickly encapsulated the digger and deposited it into the box, before searching for the small device her father had designed for a government agency. It was a small device comparable to her tiny handheld computer and when plugged into an alarm keypad, it could access into the mainframe of any alarm system and access the codes for it. She had been given the device by her father with his express instructions to build something for Capsule Corps alarm system that would block the little tool from being used against them. Her father was a trusting man, but even he did not feel comfortable with the knowledge that something of his own creation could be used against him. So Bulma had worked on the problem for days and had managed to come up with a system that protected their home from unwanted spies or intruders. She had simply rewired the Capsule Corporation system to work with old-fashioned passwords instead of numerical codes. Since the small device was only able to search out numerical codes, it was unable to breech the code that kept the Corporation’s security system up and running. Still, most people had not gone that far and the little baby really worked when you needed it to.

Pulling open the keypad, Bulma plugged the tiny computer into the available port and watched as it searched through the codes of the computer, finally locking on one. With a click, the light switched to green and the door slid open. Quickly, she tossed the device into her toolbox and encapsulated it, pocketing the capsule and hoisting her gun up, making sure it was on and ready.

The inside of the room was dark and empty as far as she could tell. Running her hands along the smooth rock of the wall, she located the light switches and flipped them on, illuminating the room. Her blue eyes flared wide as she took in the massive mainframe that sat in the room. This had to be the main computer. Kami, she could bring this whole place down right now if she destroyed it. The thought was nearly overwhelming and she felt her hand clench with the thought of doing it, but she wasn’t certain she could take the risk. He might have vital information about the virus somewhere in his files. She had to locate that first before she did any damage. Still, the idea was tempting—oh so tempting and Bulma felt herself began to tremble at the idea of actually doing it. If only she could get a hold of any pertinent information here without having to go any further…she felt her heart speed up at the thought. Kami, this could all be over with if she could just do that.

Seeing a monitor and keyboard on a small desk in the corner, Bulma ran to it clicking it on. When the main screen popped up, she saw a password screen pop up and scowled.

"Good Kami, how in the hell do I know what Gero could have possibly used for his protection." She said aloud, wracking her brain for any ideas she might have. Trying a few obvious names, Goku included she finally gave up in frustration. Dammit, leave it to Gero to fuck things up. This whole nightmare could have been over if he had just made this easy for her to access. There just wasn’t time for this now. She needed to get to his lab, find his virus notes and finish up what she had started before she came back down here and had Vegeta blow this computer straight to Hell. If she was fast, they needn’t be here any longer than they had to. The thought made her scowl with determination.

Turning, her attention was caught by a large tank that bubbled and hummed in the far corner. Dimly lit, the contents were just visible and when she moved closer and peered in she could see it contained murky water and in the middle connected to small wires was a small mass of what appeared to be tissue. Her brow creased in consternation. What in Kami’s name was this? It looked almost like a small fetus, yet it didn’t appear human. What new biological terror had Gero managed to design? With a frown she traced the wires of the tank back to the mainframe. What should she do? Nothing good could come of leaving this here. Did she end it now before it grew up to unleash whatever terror it had been designed to deliver? Why not? Wrinkling her brow she blew out a quick breath and gripped the wires.

Yanking on the cord, she disconnected the tank from the computer, watching as the light inside it dimmed and went out and the bubbling water stilled. Pushing down a small twinge of guilt at having so abruptly ended something’s life, she turned to go. The sound of a blaring alarm reverberating throughout the hollowed out room and she assumed the whole compound halted her and she cursed. Damn Gero. He had stuck an alarm system on that damn tank and now she had set it off. Well if he was unaware of intruders, he was now. What in the hell could have been so important that it required a hidden alarm? Shaking her head, she bolted for the door. There wasn’t time to linger down here. She needed to get to the lab and find this cure. Time was of the essence.

*******

Juunanagou turned to his sister and the little man that had helped them as they approached the surgical room. This was where they had traced Gero’s energy to—with some help from the little bald man, though why he was helping them was a mystery to Juunanagou. Looking from the short man to his sister, he smirked. Well perhaps it wasn’t so much a secret. Juuhachigou had apparently captured some interest.

"Is this room, Juunanagou?" Juuhachi asked quietly, face looking drawn in the dim light of the corridor. She turned her blonde head to Krillin.

"Yes." Krillin said quietly. "This is where he performs them. He should have Doctor Briefs in there with him, preparing to do his surgery."

"Well, there is nothing I love to do more, than to interrupt progress in motion. Shall we bust in, Sis and see what the good Doctor is up to?" Juunanagou smiled coldly, blue eyes crinkling mischievously. "It’s always good to get a surprise."

"Yes." Juuhachigou frowned, eyes narrowing dangerously. "By all means, Juunanagou, let’s surprise our creator."

"You might want to run, little man, if you don’t want to get to hurt." Juunanagou turned his cold gaze to Krillin. "Your help has been much appreciated."

"Alright." Krillin spoke shakily, jerking back in shock as Juuhachigou bent to press a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Yes, thank you—Krillin." Juuhachi’s cool voice washed over all his senses and he shivered with delight.

Straightening she turned towards her brother. "Let’s go."

Juunanagou nodded before raising his arm and firing a ki blast the door. With a smile he stepped through the smoky cloud and into the room, Juuhachigou close behind him.

With a lingering glance at the spot that Juuhachigou had once stood, Krillin pressed his hand to his cheek, gently rubbing the spot that she had kissed. What had come over him? For a minute her touch had made him feel warm and heavy, it had invoked feelings he had long forgotten when Gero had toyed with his mind. How could he care about her though, she was evil…or was she? He didn’t have time to linger over this. He needed to get out of here and find Yamcha and Tien and Gohan. He had to tell them what had happened and his part in it. There was little time to waste.

********

Eriadne had just settled back against the hard rocky wall of the passageway she had climbed through when she heard the explosion. Launching herself forward, she peered down through the vent, seeing smoke and falling debris in the room that Gero and the other man had been standing in. Glancing around she saw the old man hunched over in a corner, hacking. Gero stood closer to the door, face lined with shock at whatever it was he saw. Squinting she peered into the smoke and gasped as she saw her brother and sister step through the gaping hole. Oh Kami, they were alive; he had not shut them down or killed them. Her heart leapt into her throat and she slunk back against the wall, attempting to make sense of all she was seeing.

What did this mean? She had seen them fall from the sky herself. Had he reactivated them or had someone else? Judging by the look on his face, she’d wager money that someone else had brought them back to life and now there was going to be hell to pay. The corner of her mouth curved up wickedly into the slightest of smiles and she lay back against the rock wall going through her options. As far as she was concerned it was now or never in telling her brother and sister what had happened to them and why. And the idea that perhaps her family would be avenged…and that it was her brother and sister that would be doing the avenging brought a bright, wide smile to her face.

Mom, Dad…finally, I’m going to go down there and I’m going to tell them. She bit her lip to keep the tears at bay. This was no time to be breaking down. No, this was the time for anger and vengeance. It was time to show Gero what true rage was and she had a feeling that once she told her siblings everything that had occurred—at least as she knew it to happen, that things would be very bad for Gero, very bad indeed.

Looking through the grate once again, she fingered the gun that she held clutched to her chest in a near death grip. First, before she made any entrances, she would sit back and see what in the hell her brother and sister had planned and once she had ascertained that, she would get in there and she would tell all. Her blue eyes narrowed to mere slits as she sat back and inhaled softly in an attempt to still her pounding heart and calm her ragged nerves. She just had to get a grip on things…the future of her family or at least what was left of it depended on it.

*********

Costa watched Refallo shift the controls of the ship and drop the landing gear. Finally he was so close. He would find some more of Gero’s drug, and then he would find Vegeta and make him sorry he had ever been born. It was obvious to him that he had little will to fight if enough of that drug was administered to him and so to further that end, he would make sure that the bastard Prince was pumped so full he wouldn’t be able to speak, let alone even crawl across the floor. It would make the humiliation all the greater for the arrogant ass and Costa would take great care to ensure that the Prince suffered for humiliating him. It was only fair after all.

"How long until we are in Gero’s docking bay?" It was lucky for him that Refallo had an almost photographic memory. He had remembered the coordinates of Gero’s lab with ease when it had come time to input them into the new ship’s computer. For that act alone, Costa would have to see him rewarded. But now…the only thing he had time to consider was how he was going to destroy the Prince and to what extent he was going to make him suffer. That was the most important thing—the only thing that mattered to him now and he would be able to focus on nothing else until that deed was accomplished. It was all that mattered.

"I’d say within twenty minutes." Refallo replied uneasily. Costa’s constant hovering and the unholy light that shone from his eyes left him cold and scared and he longed to be back on his home planet away from the stench of fear and the decay of madness. It surrounded them and permeated the very air they breathed and as each moment ticked by, it sat heavier and thicker and Refallo was left with a huge knot in his stomach so large he thought it might rise up and choke him. He had to find a way out of all of this, he had to or he would die. He knew that now. There was no question of it.

"Good. The sooner I reach Vegeta the better. " Costa emitted a loud snarl, looking down at his hands and regarding them closely. It would be these hands that shot Vegeta’s body full of drugs and incapacitated him and it would be these hands that broke his body and that was all that mattered. That was all that mattered and somewhere deep within the recesses of his brain he thought he heard his brother agree.

**********

Gero hacked violently as the smoke from the blast burned through his lungs, singing them. What was this? Peering through the smoke, his eyes widened as he took in the sight of the two creations he had believed shut down and dead to the world. How had they been reactivated? The remote had been near him the entire time. Why it should be in his pocket right now.

Fumbling madly through his pockets he realized with a dull sense of horror that it was gone. Who would have taken it and why would they have reactivated the artificial humans? He watched as the two demons he had created stepped through the smoke and rubble and came to stand before him, both smirking arrogantly at him. Straightening himself to his full height he attempted to bluster his way out of the situation. "What is the meaning of this? How did you two get reactivated?"

"Well, I guess that is for us to know and you not to." Juunanagou replied flippantly. "The only thing that really matters, Doctor, is that we are here now."

"Don’t speak to me that way. I created you, I can destroy you too." Gero snarled angrily. "You are lucky you were only deactivated. Your attitudes left little to be desired." He took an involuntary step back as Juuhachigou moved towards him.

"Shut up, old man." She frowned at him and he felt his heart thud painfully in his chest. He had designed them too well. She was utterly merciless and that cold, empty look…to have it directed at him now…he shuddered. She would kill him if given half the chance. He needed to figure a way out of this.

Juunanagou noticed for the first time, Briefs huddled in the far corner and he nodded once at him. "Who are you?"

Briefs stepped forward. "I’m Tank Briefs."

"Tank?" Juunanagou asked dubiously. "What in the hell kind of name is Tank, old man?" He watched the man’s moustache twitch once.

"My grandfather was an army general and his nickname was Tank…when I was born, my father decided to bequeath me the name, regardless of whether I wanted it or not." He watched the pair of artificial humans carefully, afraid to move. They could kill him where he stood. Yet their business seemed to be with Gero. Maybe they would be distracted enough for him to slip by.

"Who cares?" Juuhachigou snapped. "Your name could be Bastard for all I care. I came here to kill Gero, brother…not chat about family names."

"You heard her old man…run now if you want to live. We have a score to settle with Gero." Juunanagou smirked at him coolly.

Briefs suppressed a shudder at the look of cold hatred that shone forth from the artificial human’s eyes. Kami, he could almost pity Gero now—almost. Before they could change their mind, he nodded once and jolted past them, determined to locate Chi-Chi. If he could find some way to get out of here, maybe he could save her.

Juuhachigou watched as the old man shot past her before turning her cold blue eyes back to the Doctor that had given them life. "I am done being your tool, Gero. It’s time for you to die." She raised her hand, prepared to blast him, but a sudden movement in the corner of the room caught her eye and she swung round to face it.

Eriadne knew it was now or never. She had to jump down there and force Gero to tell them everything about their past before they killed him. Truth be told, she didn’t care one way or the other if the old bastard died—it was a fitting punishment to all the heinous crimes he had committed against humanity and against God, but before he did she had to make him verify her story. Her siblings needed to hear their past and why they were what they were before they ended his life. It might be her only hope in reaching them. Leaning back, she brought her booted foot up and lashed out, kicking the grate with all her might and watching as it clattered to the ground below. Gracefully, she leapt from the opening to face her family and the evil Doctor, watching with a mixture of fear and elation as they turned to face her and uttering only one word she hoped might spare her life. "Wait!"

"Who are you?" Juunanagou stared at the girl dispassionately.

"You!" Gero cried out, turning to see whom his savior had been. Damn them, they had let Briefs go. Were they so clueless as to not know that Gero needed the stupid scientist? He felt cold rage grip his heart. He would show them who was in charge of their miserable lives.

"Yes, me." Eriadne spat. "I’ll tell you who I am…" She paused and gathered her breath. "I’m what is left of the human family this monster stole you from. I’m your sister." She watched as her siblings turned to look at one another and she took a cautious step forward. "I came here to make him pay for what he did to you and to our family." She watched as they turned disbelieving eyes towards her. Kami, the blue eyes were identical—to each other, to her…to their mother’s. Looking into Juuhachigou’s eyes was like staring into her mother’s crystalline eyes and Eriadne had to force herself to breath again.

"So are you an older sister or a younger sister?" Juunanagou quipped teasingly. "It’s not every day I have sisters throw themselves out of ventilation grates at me." He turned his piercing blue gaze towards Gero. "So tell me old man, is this true?"

"How would I know? I told you I found you abandoned on the roadside. I took you in and gave you a home and a life. I perfected you. You owe me your loyalty and your allegiance, not this disobedience. I am your creator." He roared.

"That is a fucking lie, you bastard and you know it." Eriadne half-sobbed the words out. "You stole them. You took them from my parents and you know you did. You wanted something to experiment on and they were the perfect subjects for you. Don’t you fucking lie to them anymore." She cocked her gun and aimed it at the old man. "Tell them what you did."

Juuhachigou turned from the girl back to Gero; disconcerted with the resemblance she could easily see between her so-called sister and her brother. Their features were so similar and yet so strikingly different. "Yes, Doctor…why don’t you tell us what she’s talking about." Juuhachigou crossed her arms across her chest and stared coldly at the man.

"I—I haven’t a clue to what she is talking about. I have never seen her before this day." Gero edged away from Juuhachigou slightly, trying to figure a way out of this. Maybe he could stall her long enough to escape or call for help. It was his only chance. He could not let them destroy him, not like this, not now.

"You are a liar." Eriadne growled at him. "Why don’t you tell them how my father—how our father worked for you." She turned her piercing blue gaze towards her sister’s neutral glare. "He was a lowly assistant for the Doctor during his Red Ribbon Army days. He was a genetic scientist that was pressed into service and he worked with you. It came to the Doctor’s attention that his assistant had just become a father and not only to one child, but to two."

"You are lying. I had hundreds of assistants. I hardly remembered their names, let alone whether they had children or not." Gero took another step back, taking advantage of the artificial human’s distraction. It was his only chance. It was his only chance of survival. He had to keep them distracted and off guard.

"Whatever." Eriadne snapped back at him. "You loved the idea of having two children to toy with and so you watched and you waited and when they were old enough and the time was right—" Eriadne paused and took a deep breath. "When the time was right…he stole you. He stole you from the field you were playing in and he destroyed our family."

Juuhachigou stared at the girl intently, unsure what to think. "How old were we…" She began and stopped, unsure if she really wanted to hear what the girl would tell her. She had a feeling it would just upset her. "How old were we when he took us?"

"You were five. I have no idea when he modified your bodies, but he took you when you were five."

"We’ve been modified several times over the years. " Juunanagou said coolly. "He was always adding something or changing something to give us more power. As far back as I can remember it has always been Gero. I have no memory of anything you’re talking about." He stared curiously at her. That wasn’t necessarily the truth, but he wasn’t about to tell any of them of the voice he heard from time to time—the cool voice that washed over him like clear, spring water. It hovered in the deepest recesses of his mind and nothing he did would allow him to forget it. "Were you born when he this happened? Did we know you?" Juunanagou found himself curious about this girl that claimed to be his sister and who claimed to know of the life he had never known. All he knew was Gero and his other sister…his twin.

"I was a new born when you were stolen. And I grew up watching my parents die a little more each day that went by without their children and I had to live with the knowledge that nothing I did, nothing I said would ever heal them." Eriadne turned blazing eyes towards Gero. "And it is all your fault. You took what you had no right to and you ruined a family on a whim—you destroyed lives. You as good as killed our parents when you took their children from them and you took them from me!" She felt a sob burn upwards from her chest and she choked as it spewed out. "Mom died years ago and I lived with Dad, but he was sick—so sick and he died when you two were sent to take our village. He was killed when it was destroyed and I was alone."

Juuhachigou clenched her fist, struggling to recall anything she might be able to remember. "I can’t remember. All I can think about is what he told us." She stepped forward and clenched Gero around the neck, lifting him with ease. "Tell me now, old man…does she speak the truth?" She clenched her fist tightly around his neck, watching in satisfaction as his face turned purple and mottled. "Tell me now old man, what is real and what isn’t or I will kill you now." Though why she should care about the girl or what she was saying was beyond her. She was far better than any miserable human. She held power. That was all that really mattered.

Gero encircled her wrist with his hand, clamping around her as tightly as he could. She was so strong…so very strong and he had made her this way. She was his doing. He had to stop her; he had to stop her from destroying him. "L-let go of me and I-I will tell you." His words were choked and garbled and he struggled to breath with every breath he took. "P-please…" He managed to choke out, panicking as his vision dimmed.

"Come on sis…" Juunanagou laid a hand on Juuhachigou’s shoulder. "Let him go and let’s see what he has to say. You can kill him when he’s done." Juunanagou watched his sister’s features soften back to their usual, vapid expression and he smiled at her. "I promise, you can kill him when he is done."

Dropping him, she watched impassively as he fell to the floor coughing and wheezing and struggling for a breath. "Talk." She intoned gravely. "Talk now."

"You fool…" He spat, coughing up blood. "You could have killed me and then where would you have been. I control you. Don’t you understand that?" Gero struggled to stand, and jolted as he heard the loud wailing sound of his alarms as they were set off. Cell...he had installed a special one on Cell and that was what it was that was blaring. Someone had brought harm to one of his creations. Damn them. He would see them pay. "Someone has breeched the lab. We have to stop them."

"All in good time, Doctor," Juunanagou crossed his arms across his chest and stared grimly at his creator. "If you want to live another second, however, you’d do well to do what Juuhachi said. You no longer control anything."

Gero glanced from Juuhachigou to Juunanagou, finally settling his black eyes on their sister—Eriadne. He had been a fool to ever use her. And now there were intruders in his lab and he had to stop them before they destroyed everything he had worked for. Feverishly, he glanced around, trying to gage the distance between him and his transmitter. Juurokugou was in the next room. He had only to reach his transmitter and he would have him in here. He was far stronger than either of these two devils. What was laughable was that in their arrogance, neither knew it. Yes, Juurokugou was his only hope.

**********

Briefs stood before the ready room door, knowing full well Chi-Chi was in there, laid out on that damn table like as if she were the Bride of Frankenstein. He needed to go in there and get her, but the monster was in there. Still, he had to get Chi-Chi out of here and disable that switch. But what was he supposed to do about that monster in the ready room, standing sentry over that button. If anything happened to Gero, he would push that button and all hell would be released upon the face of Chikyuu. They would all die—his wife, his daughter…his grandson. No, he couldn’t allow that to happen and even if it cost him his life, he would find a way to see to it that nothing was launched from this lab. Around him, the keening wail of the alarms blared. Who had set them off? Could he hope for Vegeta or Goku?

Resolving himself, Briefs poised his finger above the switch. If it were either of the Saiya-jin, they would need his help. He had to be brave. The door was unlocked and all he had to do was push in and it would open and he would be facing the nightmare. He could do this, but Kami, it would all be so much easier with a cigarette. Was this the retribution for his actions in the past? His denial of Gero, his encouragement of others to deny Gero’s bizarre exiperiments, had they all driven the Doctor to such madness?

No, he could well recall some of the more horrific things he had been witness to. Gero’s so-called experiments on living beings and it sickened him as much now as it had then. Look at all of these poor souls he had permanently altered now. All of these people stolen from their lives and their homes and turned into Gero’s version of perfection. They had warned him—all the scientists had and when he had been brought before his peers to answer questions to the scientific guild of just what it had been that he was doing, he had been warned again for the last time. Continue this course and be banned and ostracized from the community. No one wanted any part of his sick, inhumane work. Yes, he had been duly warned and still he had continued his course and now it had come full circle. Now it was time for one of them to die.

Briefs wondered momentarily why it was him that should have to face this last, great battle, as opposed to the other scientists who had joined with him in pushing Gero from the community and out of the guild. Perhaps it was his due. He had always been the most outspoken of all the scientists that existed within the community, willing to take a stand where others had not and so it would be now…him alone doing battle with a monster. Except this time it was for more than words—this time it was action.

"Dad?" The single word, echoing down the hall and through his brain, jerked him from his reverie and he spun to his right, nearly collapsing at the sight of his daughter. His beautiful daughter was alive and well and running straight to him. With a hoarse cry, he caught her in his embrace and squeezed her to him. "Bulma," He whispered into her hair. "Thank Kami, you are alright."

"I could say the same about you, Dad." Bulma cried. "I was so scared!"

"Are you the one that set off the alarms?" Briefs pulled back and stared into her wide, crystal blue eyes. Kami, they were so much like her mother. The sight of them renewed his hope that things might work out after all.

"I did…I found his mainframe, but I have to finish this cure for Goku and Piccolo first." She held up her capsules.

"Where is Goku?" Briefs asked. And had she said Piccolo? "Piccolo…how do you know about him?"

"It’s a long story and one I’m not up to telling right now. Goku and Vegeta and Trunks are all here. I have to get this finished and administered to Goku so he can fight." Bulma ran a hand through her blue hair. Kami, she was tired.

"Bulma, Gero has much more than just his cyborgs." Briefs motioned towards the door. Chi-Chi is in there and she is in there with some huge cyborg that is standing guard over weapons that could destroy all of Chikyuu!"

"What?" Bulma reared back to stare hard at her father. "What else could the old bastard possibly have made?"

"Cast offs from the Red Ribbon Days. Missiles that would unleash biological horror upon this planet. He wanted me to transform him into an artificial human." Briefs took a deep, shuddering breath, remembering the unholy gleam that had shone so brightly form Gero’s cold eyes. "Kami, first he used Chi-Chi to ensure that I would do it and then…the price for failing him on the table would be the systematic destruction of Chikyuu by poisoning and choking the life from it." Briefs smoothed his moustache. "And what is worse is that he has some type of Cyborg giant sitting over it like a guard dog. There is no way to get to it and deactivate it."

"Daddy," Bulma began. "You have to leave this to me. I can get past him and deactivate the switch. You need to take what I have and go and finish the serum for Goku in Gero’s lab. I’ll let Vegeta know where you are going and have him send Goku to you. All I need is the original virus to mix with what I already have. Surely, somewhere in his lab, Gero had notes that can help you."

"Bulma," I can’t let you go and face that thing all by yourself." Briefs grabbed her shoulders tightly, usually calm, passive face taut and intense. "I don’t think you understand what we are dealing with."

"Daddy, Gero held me captive here and he shod me things—" She paused, swallowing hard. , blue eyes going hard. "He showed me things that I wish to Kami, I had never seen. I think I have a very good idea of what he has in there guarding it." Bulma reached down into her pocket and grabbed her capsules. Now I brought a weapon that might do some damage to this big guy. You are far better at the biological work than I am and I’m more mechanical. You know that, Daddy. This is the only way." She stared imploringly into his eyes. They had to get Goku an antidote to the virus. Vegeta and Trunks couldn’t do this alone. They had to live.

"Bulma…" Doctor Briefs began, but she cut him before he could voice his thoughts.

"Dad, this is the only way. You know that." Reaching out her hand she held out the capsules he would need. "This one is the work I have on the virus and this one is the jet. Once you get this done, get everyone out of here. Gero has Gohan, Yamcha, and Tien too."

"Kami," He breathed, feeling suddenly far older than his some fifty odd years. "Bulma, I don’t want you hurt. How are you going to get out of here?"

"Vegeta is here. Do you really think he is going to let anything happen to me?" She laid a hand on her father’s cheek and signed softly. "Believe me, Dad, I would much rather be at home, in my lab…or holding my baby. I can’t tell you the last time I just held him and listened to his little heart beat against me, or felt his little body fall asleep in my arms. But we have to all do this if we want the chance to live a normal life. Dammit, I want my husband to live and raise our son with me. When I look into big Trunks eyes and I see how hollow and old they are for a boy of his age, I die. That can’t happen again. I can’t let it."

"Bulma," Briefs hugged her tightly. "We can’t change fate or destiny. You know that." He shut his eyes. "As much as we might wish it."

"Maybe not, Dad." Bulma whispered into his ear. "But we can sure as hell try. Now come on. Go and get to his lab and fix this for Goku. I’ll communicate that to Vegeta and have him send Goku to you. Maybe if we can get him healed up, things will be different."

"Alright." Her father sighed into her ear, taking the capsules from her hand. "But you had better be careful. I wouldn’t want to have to explain to your mother how I had let something happen to our little baby." He clutched her tightly to him. "Let alone…Vegeta." The thought of telling the Prince anything bad was enough to send a shudder coursing through him.

"I promise, Dad. And you be careful too. Now go…" She pushed him away from her and watched as he turned and sped down the hall. Kami, she hoped he would be able to find his way around. With the hollowed out halls and white, sterile lighting, everything looked the same. All right, she had to hope for the best and pray that he succeeded. She had her own things to do. She needed to concentrate on Vegeta and get through to him. He was still with her, and she could feel the energy and lust that pumped through his veins. Wherever he was, he was enjoying himself, immensely. How in the hell could she concentrate with that stupid alarm going on and on? Why hadn’t Gero turned it off?

Vegeta. She whispered through her mind, searching for him and smiling as she felt him hit her with a flood of emotions—concern, ecstasy…love. It swirled around her and engulfed her and for one fleeting moment, she had the thought that she might be swept away by them in their intensity. Kami, how could a man who felt things with such passion and vibrancy mask it from the outside world the way he did?

Woman? Came the answering reply and his voice was tinged with both impatience and concern. Are you all right?

I’m fine, but…She began, wincing as she heard a muffled curse and felt a strong surge of pain.

Vegeta? Are you all right? She waited breathlessly for him to reply and after a moment, she felt a sensation if satisfaction.

You’re distracting me. What in the hell do you want? Though his words were harsh, his tone wasn’t and she relaxed.

I found, Daddy. He’s on his way to the lab and he is going to finish the antidote. Vegeta, you need to send Goku to him." She laid her head back against the cold, hard door and sighed. They were so close.

If your father has the virus, why are you still here? Vegeta’s voice was hard and angry and she sighed again. Kami, she seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

Something else has come up…something pretty significant. I have to deal with it. Kami, why did she always get the fun jobs? She was a coward at heart.

You are no coward, woman. I wouldn’t have mated with a woman who was a coward. She could literally hear the smirk that graced his features and she smiled in return. He picked up on everything.

That’s good to know. Another loud curse and she grimaced. Vegeta, I’m going now so you can fight. I don’t know where Gero is, but be careful.

Stay out of trouble, woman. I would hate to have to get angry with you. His tone was rigid and hard and she winced again. She’d hate that too. He liked to yell when he was upset and she could just picture herself shackled to a chair while he paced around and yelled at her and…no, not now. She had to concentrate on the here and now and that was all that mattered or she would end up dead and he would be really pissed off then.

"Alright, Bulma…" She took a deep breath and grabbed the capsule. "Time to go and show the big guard what you got." Popping open the capsule, she grabbed up her gun and prepared herself for entry. It was now or never. She had never really done many brave things in her life, had usually been the one that hid behind someone else…but this time—this time she had something to fight for and a reason to be brave and she couldn’t let either of them down. This time the stakes were too high if she did.

*******

"So, Gero," Eriadne began in irritation, tired of waiting. "Are you going to tell us what you did and how or are we all going to stand here all day and look at each other. I want the truth to be told before you die. I want to know." She motioned at him with her gun. "Talk."

"Fine." Gero spat, sliding backwards slowly. If he could inch back just a few feet, he could call Juurokugou and have him destroy his impudent creations. He just had to keep them distracted long enough to do so. "I had become interested in the genetics of twins and the possibilities of cloning. To further those ends, I needed live subjects. I mean, how on Chikyuu had I any hopes of understanding genetics if I couldn’t see them first hand or see how they reacted to certain…tests." Gero slid back yet another foot. "So I began by going to orphanages and seeking out children that had no homes. Children who no one would miss."

"Oh Kami," Eriadne said dully, shell-shocked. "That no one would miss? You talk about them as if they were something less than human. They were children." She clutched her gun more tightly to her and fought the urge to blow his head off then and there. She needed to hear this, no matter how bad it was. She owed it to her parents to hear what he did and how.

"Don’t be so foolish. How would you expect me to learn about human genetics doing tests on a rat? All of the subjects I used gave their lives for a greater good. They furthered my studies to allow me to do the things I can do now. Your sister and brother are the perfect example of what I can do." Gero took another small slide back. Just a few more of those and he would be there.

Eriadne swallowed sickly, trying desperately to shut off the images that rose unbidden into her mind and stem the sudden nausea that over took her. "You arrogant bastard. What is wrong with you?" How could he have done that to another human, how could he have harmed innocent children? Kami…how could anything this terrible be allowed to live?

"What kind of experiments did you do to these…subjects, Doctor?" Juunanagou’s voice gave away nothing of his thoughts, merely remained smooth and impassive.

"There were injections and blood tests—organ study as well. I needed to cut out organs to see the similarities and if there was a reaction to the same stimulus." He talked nonchalantly. It had been no big deal. He had done many a virus test on them too…seeing how they reacted and if the similarities were the same between each twin. He had even sought to control their eye color by injecting their eyes with various dyes. All of his work had paid off in dividends he would never be able to measure.

Eriadne struggled to keep the bile down, but she failed, falling to her knees and retching. He had cut them up like lab rats and experimented on them. Kami, Kami, Kami. How could he? She felt a hand on her shoulder and she glanced up, shocked to see her sister looking down at her, slanted blue eyes glowing.

"Are you alright?" The cool voice asked and she nodded, unable to believe that Juuhachigou would ask her.

So, if you were able to find all of this using these orphaned children…why did you need us?" Juunanagou asked, glancing at his sister—sisters, he amended. Except, one sister was very much human with human frailties to match.

"I was having a harder time finding subjects and I was desperate. I was so close to unraveling the genetics and I was looking to replace organs with machinery. It was then that I recalled my worker—your father, having twins some years back and so I decided that you were my only option." Gero slid back another millimeter. "I found out where you lived and tracked you. The opportunity to take you arose much faster than I anticipated. You were playing in a field and I lured you both to me with some sodas. I had drugged them with a powerful sedative. Before you came to, I implanted some false memories into your mind. You believed that you had been abandoned and desperate for care and attention. You were both ripe for the taking after that and willing to do anything I asked. Breaking you and remolding your minds was simple."

"They were children, you bastard. How could you do that to little kids? " Eriadne had stood and taken a step towards Gero, body shaking like a leaf. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear her father’s voice.

Control, Eriadne…you must have control.

"Yes, well…sister, " Juunanagou said. "I’m sorry that you and my parents had to suffer, but I can’t argue with the improvements that Gero made in me. I am quite strong and so is she." He nodded at Juuhachi. "The things I can do now are incredible."

"How can you say that? You had names and people who loved and wanted you and he took you from that. He made you believe what he wanted you to believe and he did things to you that he had no right to do. Are you so far gone that you can’t realize that?" She stared in disbelief at him and for the first time she felt her hopes dim. Had Trunks been right after all? Had her vengeance been for naught?

"I’m never going to die, Eriadne." Juunanagou said. "I can’t agree with his methods…but the end result is all the same. "

"So you are all right with knowing he took you from people that loved you…good people, a family." Eriadne felt her heart sink with each word he uttered.

"I can’t care about what I don’t remember." Juunanagou shrugged regretfully. "But power, I understand and I have lots of power now. Right sis?" He turned his blue gaze to his twin and smiled.

"Perhaps." She replied. "But this changes nothing. You will still die at our hands." She turned her eyes to the shaking girl who stood beside her. This was her sister. A younger sister…someone she could have taken care of. Gero had taken her from that. She felt an odd tug at something she had never thought she had—her heart. True she had power…but at what price?

Gero closed his hand around his transmitter and smiled wickedly. "We’ll see." He chortled proudly. "But only if you can get by Juurokugou." With a click, he snapped an order to his giant and waited. "I do hope you two feel up to the challenge."

"Now, Doctor. "I do believe you instilled in us a love of challenges. It makes life so much sweeter—and so much fun." Juunanagou smiled coldly at his creator.

"And it sweetens your death all the more." Juuhachigou smiled chillingly as well. Glancing over to her sister, she yelled. "You need to go and hide. You might be hurt."

"You care?" Eriadne asked in disbelief.

Juuhachigou shrugged non-committed and moved towards the door, preparing herself for battle.

With only the slightest hesitation, Eriadne nodded, scampering back to her former hiding place. She had to keep some hope alive that they wanted to be different. She had to. It was all she had left.

**********

Bulma had snapped open the door and dropped to the floor, rolling into the room and crawling under a lab table she hoped hid her. Kami, she felt like she was in the military. How had she ever gotten herself into this? She had no sooner gotten in than the giant her father had warned her about exited the room. He seemed to be in a hurry for whatever reasons and she had barely gotten a look at him. He had been huge, that was for sure and red hair—she had seen red hair. Maybe he had been summoned and the only likely person to be summoning him would have to be Gero. This gave her the perfect chance to get to that switch and deactivate it. She had to hurry.

Cautiously she stood, assuring herself that no one else was around. Moving to the control panel, she looked for and saw the red-raised switch she assumed could only be the one that her father had been talking about. Still, she would see about demolishing the entire panel just to be sure. Something would still have to be done about the missiles, but at least Gero wouldn’t be taking out anything anytime soon.

Laying the gun down, she ripped open the casing and under the panels and began tracing wires. Somewhere in here were the wires that triggered that damn switch. She had to find them and quickly. Who knew when that big guy would be back? And she didn’t want to contemplate what he would do to her if he caught her. Kami, she only had that little gun and he had been so huge. Kami, how she wished Vegeta were here. He’d keep her safe and give her the time she needed to get this done.

There was little time for such thoughts. She needed to get this done. Throwing a quick glance over her shoulder, she popped open her capsule tools and began to dig for a flashlight. The sooner she traced the wires, the sooner she would be able to get out of here and quite possibly find Vegeta. She would only feel aright when she was with him.

**********

"Kakkarot, get your fool ass to Gero’s lab. Bulma’s father is preparing the antidote for you." Vegeta snapped at the third class as he swung his fist into what had been the millionth cyborg he had faced. How many of these things had Gero created? As many of the fucking things as he put down, ten more took their place. And talking to Bulma, hearing her exhausted and tension filled voice had done little to ease his mind. She shouldn’t be here amongst this, but he could hardly argue that she could accomplish things they could not. Still the only way she was going to be safe was if he found her and stayed with her. The woman always got herself into trouble. He had little doubt that soon she would be facing down Gero while he continued to pound on these idiotic creations.

Beside him, Trunks blasted away at a group of them. Despite his anger at his son—the anger of the boy using such poor judgment and endangering his wife, he felt himself fill with a reluctant pride at all the boy had accomplished since he had first met him. Already a Super Saiya-jin, He had made amazing progress in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. His mother had done a fine job at raising him, even if it had been without him. It was a testament to her strength, though he would never be able to form the words to tell her or the boy that.

Well, she wouldn’t have to do that in this time. He would live and he would conquer all of these insignificant machines and then would he have his victory over Kakkarot. And then he would have her and maybe this damn universe of he chose to take it.

"Go, Kakkarot." He yelled again, before blasting the area next to the younger warrior as a diversion. For once there were no arguments as Kakkarot nodded at him once and disappeared into the thick smoke. Now he needed to get out of here himself and go in search of his mate.

***********

Roshi slipped the heavy robe over his thin body and drew the hood up over his baldhead. He had his own part to play in this drama. The cyborgs even now crawled over the streets of the cities, capturing and harming innocent and sick people. He had to help them see that Gero was not their friend. He had to give them some kind of hope to cling to in a world gone mad with despair, illness and terror. He would trust Goku to defeat the evil and he would do what he could to help restore civilization to some semblance of order. The boy couldn’t do it alone.

They had spoken of Goku’s illness and the rage he felt at it; the despair he felt at being unable to help his wife and son and the overpowering fear that he was losing his hold on his control and that when he snapped he would do serious harm to the planet and the people he loved. There had not been much that he could say to the boy, except for a simple message that he thought might help him in the long run.

"Remember who you are, Goku."

"That’s just it, Master. I don’t know who I am, anymore." Goku had sighed heavily and looked at his hands.

"You are the same boy you were before you found out you had Saiya-jin blood, you are the same boy I trained and you are the same boy that has given his life for this planet and his friends over and over. You are the grandson of Gohan and your son carries his name. He believed in you, and so do I; so does that boy. You will overcome and you will prevail. It is who you are."

He had watched the boy stare at him—well perhaps boy was no longer the term he could use for him. Goku was a man now…a man who had laid his life down for his beliefs, a man with a child of his own…a man who always seemed able to do the right thing. And after what had seemed hours, he had watched the man nod at him with solemn black eyes.

"I can’t do it alone this time, Master." The wide black eyes had looked at once both aged and innocent and it was in that moment that Roshi realized what toll the battle with Gero and the virus had taken upon him.

"You don’t have to, Goku." He had replied. "You don’t have to."

And he meant to keep his word. He couldn’t help them in battle. That part was up to Vegeta, Goku and Trunks. But he could help out somewhere else and now…it was time.

"Trunks!" He yelled over the din of the battle.

* * * * *

11 / Bulma’s Hideout