The War of Worlds

By B_Chan

Chapter 10: The CC Army: Let’s Get this Party Started!

Goten couldn’t help but whistle. "Wow…" he said looking at the absolutely gigantic line circling around Capsule Corps. "It must be a mile long…." He scratched the back of his head wondering if he’d even get through the front gate at this rate. The shear number of people gather was amazing. He could hear several different languages being spoken, skin color ranged from black to white and everything in between.

"I guess word spreads fast," laughed Goten sheepishly. Not that he blame them, after all he was there for the same reason as they: to join. It hadn’t been a really hard choice for him, where the action was, was where he belonged he figured.

His mother hadn’t been too pleased with his choice, but she’d reluctantly given him her blessing. Unlike his older brother, Gohan, their mother didn’t discourage him from fighting. Oh she complained about it, emphasizing a good education, but she always gave in and allowed him to fight. He didn’t understand it himself; he’d heard enough conversations between his mother, father, and older brother to understand that his mother didn’t believing fighting solved anything. He’d once asked Gohan about this and his older brother had said it was because of how he looked. That had confused Goten even more, what did his looks have to do with anything?

His mother had been the one to first train him to fight, when she’d caught him and Trunks ‘rough housing’ she’d dragged him off by the ear behind the house, took up a fighting stance, and told him to attack her. After their first lesson he’d been sore and tired, but he’d really had fun and told his mother this. Chichi had only smiled and pet his head, saying he was too much like his father. It was many years before he’d put her words and Gohan’s together to understand why his mother couldn’t deny him the right to fight: his father. He looked and acted too much like his father. If he allowed his hair to go wild he would practically be his clone. The thought had disturbed him, he’d first looked at it as them making him a replacement for the legend of a man; needless to say, he hadn’t felt qualified to fill his dad’s rather large shoes. But, when his dad had come back, he’d come to understand that wasn’t it.

She’d finally come to understand the man she’d married.

Gohan had told him it was a real surprise how well their parents had gotten along when Goku had come back from the dead after a seven year absents. He explained that they use to fight quite a lot with each other, or Chichi yelled at him and Goku just sat there and took it. Sometimes you have to loose what you have to realize what you really had and that was what had happened to his mother. She’d finally excepted that she could never change Goku and excepted to herself that she did like and even love him as he was: an alien warrior and protector of those he cared for. They weren’t bad qualities; they were in truth very noble ones. She just couldn’t see that till she had nothing but time to reflect on what she’d lost. That was why she let him (Goten) fight, if he truly was anything like Goku she knew that she wouldn’t be able to change him as she had failed to change his father. Instead of fighting it she’d decided to just except it. Perhaps it was her way of compensating for the harsh words and things said in the past to his sire, or perhaps it was to bring back a little part of the man she’d lost. She had her Gohan, her scholar, and Goku had him. They were still rather large shoes he was trying to walk in, but now he was ready and willing to grow into them.

Goten sighed in fond memory of his father, hoping that wherever he was he was happy and content. While you’re gone father I’ll look after everyone, I won’t let you down he silently promised as he turned back to look at the long line that hadn’t seemed to have moved an inch while his thoughts had wondered. He signed again, this time without any fondness, "That is ‘if’ I ever get anywhere in this line." He couldn’t look after anyone if he couldn’t find, let alone see, them in all this chaos.

"Goten-kun!" called out a cheerful voice.

Goten’s head snapped up just in time to see a blue haired demi-saiyan barreling down on him. He took a step back as she landed on him wrapping her arms around his neck and laughing happily.

Many of the would-be troops looked on with envy and awe, a ‘Golden Warrior’ stood in their mists. Goten smiled and wondered what they would think if they only knew he too was a ‘Golden Warrior’.

"I’m so happy you decided to join Goten!" spoke Bra stepping back to look at him. "The other’s will be so happy too!"

Goten laughed feeling embarrassed about all the curious eyes fixed on the two of them. "Others? You mean some of the gang has joined already?"

"Yup," chirped Bra. "Base-kun, my brother, Pan, and Marron are already signed up and registered. They sent me out here to get you when we felt your ki nearby."

"So does that mean you’ve come to rescue me from this line?" he asked hopeful.

Bra grinned at him and grabbed his hand to snap up into the air; Goten instinctually used his ki to hover above the shocked crowd’s heads as he was hauled up after her.

"I give you freedom," she laughed and Goten laughed with her letting go of her hand.

"My mother will be happy you’re here. We really need all the powerful warriors we can find. Come on let’s go, you can sign up inside where it’s more comfortable," she said fly over the awed crowd’s heads.

As they flew Goten noticed that Bra seemed to be looking for something, her head tilted around scanning the people below. Goten smacked himself on the forehead, not something, someone! Almuerzo and Uub hadn’t been included in the list she’d given him; Goten could easily guess which one Bra was hoping would show up.

I haven’t seen Uub in so long thought Goten scanning the crowd as well. He wondered if Uub even knew about the CC army yet, the demi-majin teen live literally in the middle of nowhere. His village was relatively poor; they didn’t even have TVs or phones. Goten didn’t know how Uub could stand that, it sounded like such a boring life style. He glanced back up at Bra, pondering the two’s relationship. Bra was undoubtedly fond of Uub and Uub undoubtedly returned her feelings, the two were pretty much engaged, all they lacked where wedding rings on their fingers. Strange, Bra lived in the very heart of modern technology while her chosen partner lived as people once did hundreds of years ago. I guess it is true, opposites do attract thought Goten too himself.

They flew over the compounds walls and Goten’s eyes widened even more. "Wow-we!" he cried. The place was stuffed with people, lines littered the lawn, waiting at new buildings that had been constructed somewhere between today and the last time he’d been over at Capsule Corps.

"Yah, quite a turn out don’t you think," said Bra glancing back at him.

"I’ll say," gawked Goten. "Can you even use all these people or afford them?" asked Goten more to himself then Bra.

Bra laughed. "Of course silly, Capsule Corps is a 2.3 trillion dollar company, we could start our own nation if we wanted to, we’re filthy rich." She laughed again at him and reached back to pet him on the head as if he were a cute little puppy following her around. Goten blushed slightly at her treatment of him, Bra had such an old personality, serious and wise one moment, girlie and perky the next. He blamed in on the mix of Bulma and Vegeta’s best and worst traits. "As for how many troops we can hire," she looked down and Goten had the odd feeling that she was actually ‘counting’ all those thousands of people under them. "We anticipated there would be quite a few, I’d say we can handle about five or six times this many, give or take a few thousand."

Goten’s mouth dropped. "That many?!"

"Yup, we’ll start shipping them out to all different kinds of training facilities in a week. We’ve established Capsule Corps boot camps all over the globe. The most promising students are going to be kept here where most of the powerful ki wielders are. We’ll probably get this many everyday for the first week, but after that I imagine it will taper off quite a bit. Don’t worry I’d say only half, at best, will make it through the trials, and far less will actually make it through boot camp and training."

"Only half?" asked Goten looking down at all the structures, wondering just what was going on inside them.

"My dad, designed the program," giggled Bra making Goten pale.

"I’m surprised you gave them such a high acceptance rank if ‘your’ dad put this together." Goten briefly wondered if even ‘he’ would get in if these were tests created by Vegeta.

"Actually my mom put together the first program and exams, but dad and her got into this huge fight over it. My dad hadn’t really done anything till the last couple days, I almost think he didn’t know what was going on?" she tapped her finger to the side of her face then shrugged her shoulders. Goten sweat dropped, if he were Vegeta he would have liked someone to at least explain to him what was going on. Those Brief women sometimes forgot the simple things when they were working on bigger projects, like explaining to their husbands that they were going to build an army. Goten was betting Vegeta woke up one day and just walked out of his house to see all the new structures and equipment that had magically appeared during the night. "After the fight," continued Bra. "My mom agreed to let him revise the program." She giggled to herself. "He revised it, then she scrapped and revised it, then he scrapped and revised it, they went on and on like that for a whole day almost. Finally they got it worked out, I’ve gone over it myself. It actually looks pretty solid to me. My dad’s got his strength requirements and my mom’s got her IQ requirements."

"IQ… requirements," said Goten, not liking the sound of that at all.

Bra laughed again and turned around to start petting him again. "Don’t worry Goten-kun, you’re strong enough to pass even if you fail everyone of the IQ questions and tests. You’ll probably be put into a fighting unit not stuck planning tactics or anything like that."

"Oh," Goten blushed again. So he wasn’t the brightest apple in the butch, but he wasn’t stupid! With a growl he shook Bra’s hand off.

Bra only grinned at him and swooped down for a landing on a large balcony branching off from the side of the round Capsule Corps building. Goten lightly touched down beside her. In sharp contrast to the mayhem outside the inside of CC was surprisingly… quiet.

Base leaned back in a corner, as usual, the lone wolf of their little group. Trunks and Pan were sitting down on a couch, sipping tea and chatting, they stopped once he showed up. And, Marron was looking down at a small stack of papers, pen in hand. She looked up as Goten stepped into the room.

"I knew you’d show up," smirked Trunks getting up to greet his best friend.

"You didn’t expect me to let you have all the glory did you?" smiled Goten clapping hands with the lavender haired demi-saiyan, excitement and mischief danced in their eyes. That sly light always entered the two’s eyes when they were together, especially when they knew they’d be challenging each other soon.

"So what are you Trunks? A general? A commander? A lieutenant?" asked Goten.

Trunks drew his hand back and shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I haven’t a clue what kind of position I’m going to get. I haven’t even taken any of the tests yet."

"What?! You mean you have to take the tests too?" asked Goten in shock.

Trunks sighed. "Yah, I do. Mom knows how smart I am, and dad knows how strong, but I still have to do it. I guess they want to make it legal and fair, or rate their son against everyone else," grumbled Trunks.

Goten laughed and slapped him on the back. "Hey, I’m glad your parents aren’t mine. I can only imagine how hard it’s got to be to please those two."

"You have no idea."

"So what are you guys all doing here anyway? Why haven’t you started your testing yet?"

"We were waiting for you and the others. Marron just got here a few minutes ago and she’s still filling out the forms, you’ve got to do the same, and we’re still waiting for Almuerzo," answered Pan.

"Yah, everyone agreed to test us together, if we were scattered amount the other recruits we’d blow them away, plus it’s easier to see where we stand with each other this way," spoke Trunks. He frowned softly no doubt wondering if his parents had done that to rank him in comparison to the others. Vegeta probably had, everyone knew the saiyan prince thought his son could kick the tail of any of ‘Kakarot’s’ brats any day.

"Almuerzo? You know for sure she’s coming?" asked Goten

"Well…" said Pan glancing at Marron.

"She’ll be here," said Marron not looking to pleased about something as she scribbled down words on the paper in front of her.

Goten gave the others a questioning look, obviously wondering what was wrong with Marron.

"Marron just found out that her mom and dad are here to. They’re working for my parents in fact, Krillin will be testing many of the recruits in the fighting and strength tests, while Juuhachigou is helping Bulma judge the intellect tests," said Bra.

Goten winced. Were their parents all here waiting to judge them. Goten wondered, not without some worry, if his mom was going to show up too. He didn’t like tests and knowing that his mom would be grading and seeing all his mistakes made the thought all that much more unnerving.

Poor Marron, poor Trunks. "So did she tell you she was coming or something, Marron? Did she give you a time?"

Marron sighed and dropped her pen to lean back in her seat. "No I didn’t talk to her, but her dad said she’d be there."

"Tienshinhan?" blinked Goten. "I haven’t seen him in years… where’d you find him?"

"Here," said Marron in a blank tone.

"Huh?!"

"He’s helping with training and recruits too," said Trunks off to his side. "So are Chaotsu and Yamacha."

"Please tell me Master Roshi isn’t here," said Goten.

"Thank god he’s not!" said Pan.

To the side Bra laughed. "He volunteered to train the girls’ division, but my mom turned him down."

"That dirty old goat," muttered Marron going back to her papers, her hand making sharp, quick jerks as it moved.

Goten tried to hide his grin, but he was sure it still shone on his face. Marron had grown up around the old turtle hermit. Krillin, Juuhachi, and her had all lived with him for many years on the turtle island before Krillin had settled down with a good paying job and moved to Satan city. She’d watched the old man laughed and drool over his hentai magazines, sneak pats at her mother and any other attractive female that came near him, and even make perverse passes at her when she’d reached puberty. Needless to say her opinion of his hobbies weren’t very high.

"Is Lunch working here too?" asked Goten.

Trunks shook his head. "No, she didn’t want to… well she half did, half didn’t."

"Huh?" hummed Goten tilted his head to the side in a curious manner.

"The blond half of her wanted to, she showed up with Tien and showered everyone and thing with machine gun bullets. But, she sneezed…"

"Oh," said Goten. Almuerzo and her mother were both so much alike in certain ways. Their blond personalities were wild and well… scary, while their brunet aspects where sweet and surprisingly gentle. Goten didn’t know who was worst: Almuerzo or Lunch. Lunch’s mood swings were by far more violent and her personalities differed more. While, Almuezo wasn’t as violent as her mom, but she was capable of doing a ‘lot’ more damaged with her power level. "So… you don’t know when Almuerzo will show up?"

"Depends on which mood she’s in," spoke Base off to the side. Base didn’t seem too pleased about the fact that Almuerzo was going to join; of course, considering their relationship that was understandable. Poor Base, hounded by a girl who was sweet one moment and scary the next must really throw the consent, collective, and always (or at least always trying to be) in control namek off his axis. The young namek always claimed not to understand humans, especially woman, and Almuerzo wasn’t exactly the best example to use to try and change his mind set about them. They could stay on one side of the room and he’d stay on the other that was pretty much how Base saw it.

"Here you go Goten," smiled Bra plopping a stack of papers in front of him.

"What’s this?" asked Goten blinking at the small print.

"The registration forms," said Trunks. "You need to write down your insurance, address, blood type, how many years of school you took, where you went to school, the places you’ve lived, what languages you speaks, your nationality, the lists goes on and on," said Trunks with a sigh.

"Gees…" said Goten flipping through the sheets. "I hope I know all this stuff… so it’s just all personal questions and information?"

"No it’s talks about just what you’re getting yourself into, what your obligations will be to this unit if you are passed," said Trunks.

"Basically you’re selling us your body and soul," said Bra flashing him an eerie smile before laughing in an almost evil fashion.

Goten paled, Trunks grabbed his already filled out form and start flipping though it no doubt looking to see if his sister was joking or if he’d misses some fine print in there.

"Calm down, it doesn’t say anything like that," said Marron to their side. She was working on the last or her pages. "There’s certain rules and training programs you’ll be require to take before you become an officer, but if you want to you can still drop out any time before you raise to rank; you’re not signing your life away. Gees, Trunks don’t tell me you just signed all that stuff without reading it first?" she asked giving him a ‘are you stupid’ look.

Trunks made a nervous laughed and rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish Goten imitation.

Marron rolled her eyes and finished her forms, signing her signature on the bottom line.

Goten looked down at the forms not knowing where to start on them, seconds, passes minutes with him just starting at the first page.

"Your name," said a voice to his side.

"Huh?" said Goten lifting his head and looking at Trunks and Marron.

"Your name silly, you write your name there," grinned Trunks. "With the look you were giving that paper I’d think you expected it to attack you."

Goten blushed and looked down at the paper. "I’m not good at this kind of stuff, my mom usually helps me with it."

Marron gave a small smile and scooted over so she was hip to hip and side to side with him. She calmly began helping him, asking easy questions to figure out the answers to questions he didn’t know. Goten was generally grateful for her assistance and the two began chatting and leaning into each other.

To the side…

"Oh man I’ve soooo got to get them married," said Bra watching the two who were so engaged in what they were doing they didn’t even hear her."

Pan snickered and leaned back. "Poor Goten and Marron, they’re doomed for sure if you’re after them."

"I’m so hurt," said Bra faking a pout. She grinned evilly at Pan. "Of course, I’ve still got you and Trunks to work on."

"Eep!" squeaked both lavender and raven-haired teen scooting away from the blue haired demi-saiyan. Bra was a good matchmaker, but her methods of getting two people together were odd to say the least.

"Aaannnnnddd!" she said drawing out the word as she turned to look at Base. "I’ve got Mr. Namek here to tie down." Big grin.

"You stay away from me!" growled Base. "I haven’t got a love life and I don’t want one."

"Oh I see (wink) sure Base," smiled Bra.

"Why do I get the feeling that just went in one ear and out the other?" grumbled the namek.

Pan leaned into Trunks and whispered in his ear. "You know I think the reason Bra’s obsessed with our love lives is because she isn’t getting to act out her own…"

A thoughtful look crossed Trunks’ face. "You know you may be right. She doesn’t show it, but I think Bra’s not nearly as happy as she wants us to think she is."

"Putting those acting skills to good use," muttered Pan. "Maybe we should try meddling in her love life for a chance and see how she likes it."

"Good luck, Bra’s a tough nut to crack; if she doesn’t want to tell you something she won’t."

Pan frowned at the blue haired demi-saiyan’s back who happened be poking Marron teasingly as Marron and Goten got to the part of the forms that asked about marriage status. If that weren’t bad enough the demi-saiyan girls started humming "Here Comes the Bride". Marron developed a small tic at the corner of her eye.

In Pan’s head an image of a Pan nutcracker materialized trying to munch a blue walnut. Instead of the nut cracking the nutcracker’s jaw broke. Pan winced at the weird metaphor and gentle rubbed her jaw.

Just then a large ki was felt. Everyone’s heads turned to look at the door right before an army boot kicked it in.

"Mawhahaahahha!" laughed a tall blond standing in the doorway. Green eyes flashed with an eerie fire, made all that much eerier by the fact that the tall woman had one extra. Waves of golden curls were tossed over strong shoulders. A Red bandana held most of the girl’s thick head of hair back out of her fair face, a amused smirk played over lipstick covered lips as her eyes roamed over those gathered in the room. "Let’s get this party started," grinned Almuerzo strutting into the room with a combined female, feline sway to her hips.

"Woo," said Goten taking in the tall human’s grub. Skin tight black stretch pants molded like a second skin over well toned legs and hips, while an equally black tight vest cover Almuerzo’s ample bosom managing to somehow display more then cover. What really got everyone was the amount of amino and guns the girl was toting, a regular one-man army. Black straps criss-crossed her frame holding a wicket-hunting knife to one thigh, a short pistol to the other. A shotgun was strapped between her shoulder blades, a line of grenades on a belt running from shoulder to side, another line of bullets cross over the other shoulder and down to her side. One hand held a rocket launcher over one shoulder, and an Uzi gripped firmly in the other.

Bulma walked into the room to see what the commotion was all about and stopped to stare along with the other Z teens.

"Oh baby! I am ‘so’ ready to kick some alien booty," laughed the girl. She spotted Bulma then and managed a solute with the hand holding the uzi. "Mrs. Briefs, ma’am, I hope you don’t mind me bring a few of my own toys, ma’am."

"Um… no that’s fine with me…" managed Bulma. "So long as you don’t use any of that in my house."

"Yes, ma’am," grinned Almuerzo slapping her hand on the rocket launcher, which made Bulma jump nervously, that slap had landed a little too close to the trigger for her liking.

"Yes… well… hurry up an finish the forms Goten, your parents already give me yours Almuerzo so no worries. Krillin says he’s ready to start testing your group whenever you finish the paper work."

"Okay, I’ve only got a few papers more to go," said Goten eyeing Almuerzo nervously.

"Good," said Bulma with a weak smile also eyeing Almuerzo. "Well I’ll just be going then, carry on," she waved behind her as she hurried out the room.

"Almuerzo, what is with all the guns girl?" asked Bra stepping closer to the tall three-eyed beauty.

Almuerzo flashed pearly white teeth. "Aren’t they great. They’re from my own private collections that I’ve been saving up since I was ten."

"Ten… you had guns when you were ten?" asked Trunks.

"Oh yah, I’ve got quite a large store room out back behind the house, just packed wall to wall. Daddy wouldn’t let me have any of the really fun ones till I was older, like my mini and elephant rifle."

"My god… she’s like the terminator…." Said Pan in a small voice.

Almuerzo laughed and slapped her hand down on the rocket launcher again. "Isn’t this one a beauty? My mom just gave it to me as a going away present." She leaned her cheek on the cold metal and sighed in a blissful manner as if touching it turned her on, which it may very well have.

"But why?" asked Bra the only one that didn’t seem at least slightly nervous about Almuerzo’s gun covered form. "I mean you’re much stronger then any bullet or missile with your knowledge of ki control. Why would you even bother with weapons?"

"Why?!" asked Almuerzo as if it were obvious. "Sister have you ever held one of these babies in your hand and squeezed the trigger?" She twirled the uzi around her finger then flipped it over and handed it handle first to Bra. "Trust me you won’t forget it any time soon."

"Hmm?" hummed Bra looking at the weapon. With a shrug she heft it up and aimed out the open window.

"Bra! You sure that’s a good idea?" asked Trunks, crouching as if ready to leap away.

Bra looked over at him, a smirk just like her father’s flashed over her face.

"Ahh! Hit the deck!" shouted Goten grabbing Marron and diving over the coach as the blue hair demi-saiyan took aim and pulled the trigger. Of course, Bra had never shoot a gun before and was completely surprised at the force the bullets left the barrel. So surprised and unprepared that before she could get a firmer grip on the gun and brace herself, her arm was jerked back and up. A spray of bullets hit the metal frame of the window and the large clock over the sill and bounced off back into the room.

"Ahhh!" shouted the teens dodging and jumping around the room as bullets ricocheted off various items. They were all too unprepared to even think about raising their ki and throwing up shields. Trunks and Pan found themselves acting out a scene from the movie "Matrix", Goten and Marron used the couch as a shield, while Base…

"Ooww my ass!"

After the rain of death ended everyone turned to look at one green namek holding his rear and cursing.

"You shoot Base in the ass Bra!" growled Trunks.

Bra’s eyes widened and she looked down at the gun in her hand. Laughing nervously Bra hid the gun behind her back and rubbed the back of her head in sheepish Goten imitation.

"Bra if that didn’t work for me it sure as hell isn’t going to work for you," said Trunks.

Bra stopped her nervous laugh and glanced at the now very pissed namek glaring at her. "Er… well I was just following Almuerzo’s example. Yah! Got me some alien booty!" she shouted, then paled and look more then a little uncomfortable as the dark look Base was giving her got darker. "Er… well maybe they’ll give you a purple-heart for it?" said Bra meekly.

Base growled and began cracking his knuckles.

"Oh gees! We’d better get going, don’t want to keep Krillin waiting now do we?" She thrust the uzi back into Almuerzo’s hands and ran towards the door. She couldn’t help but pause at the doorway and smile back at Almuerzo. "Definitely won’t forget that any time soon. Why don’t you go play nurse for Base?"

Almuerzo’s face brightened at that and she turned her head to look at Base, a wide grin plastered there. "Base-kun?"

"No! I’ll heal myself!" shouted Base limping as fast as he could out of the room.

"Base-kun!" she called jogging after him.

"Yah… Bra’s definitely got some odd methods of getting people together…" said Trunks more to himself then anyone else.

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 9 / Bulma’s Hideout / Chapter 11