I Hate Being Right

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these fictional characters except for Bruce, Hal, Rich, and Skip. Akira Toriyama is the original creator and this is a non-profit fanfiction written for fun…or angst…whatever.

Ch. 12

Vegeta clutched his chest as he wheezed and fell through a pair of prickly bushes. Falling to his knees, he came face to face with himself. A small stream flowed past him and his breath came out harshly as his entire body jerked and trembled in exhaustion and pain. His voice panted with each breath and his vision blurred in and out of focus.

He stifled a pained cry as he looked at his face in the cold water. His eyes were still darkly outlined with mascara and eyeliner and his bloody lips held a small gleam of lip gloss. His skin was darkly bruised and bleeding, dried blood spreading from his lips and nose to his chin. With a snarl of disgust the saiyajin smacked his hand through the cold stream and brought a palm to his head.

He felt like sobbing. After he started running he never stopped. He tried to push his energy throughout his body to increase his speed, but it made him so disoriented he didn’t know if he was going faster or slower. His right leg felt ready to fall off and his chest ached. His broken ribs and internal injuries were making running almost impossible and he had no idea where he was or what direction he was headed. The icy breeze that struck him did not help and his teeth chattered as he desperately tried to make a plan. Angry tears stung his eyes again, but he bit his lip and tried to calm his breathing.

Perhaps he could use the little energy he had to send a psychic alert to one of the earthlings. Perhaps Kakarot….no! That fool could not see this! But he was clothed at last, though oddly. But the questions would be too much. The earthlings would discover what had happened. He could not allow this! But what other choice did he have? Keep running until he collapsed and was found by the insane humans? Maybe-

The ground exploded directly next to his hand and Vegeta pitched forward into the cold stream. Screaming from the shock, the saiyajin heard the frantic feet running behind him. Knowing who was approaching, the warrior prince flailed in the moving water and righted himself, his legs kicking out pathetically as he fought the current. Staggering over jagged rocks and slipping on the moss, Vegeta growled in agony as his skin was cut open and right thigh slammed into a particularly jagged rock. The gun went off again and Vegeta cried out in terror and pain as a bullet grazed his right shoulder, tearing flesh as it whizzed past.

Falling face-first into the muddy creek bank, Vegeta scrambled up the small hill and was back on his feet, his heart pounding so loud he couldn’t hear where Hal was. There was harsh, whimpering breath nearby and he realized it was him. In a blind panic Vegeta ran as fast as he could, his right leg nerveless and numb. He could see a black stain growing along the pants he wore and knew that the bullet wound was getting much worse. Blood leaked from the right side of his pants and his ankle let out a sickening crack with each step.

“There Rich! HE’S RIGHT THERE!!”

Glancing over his shoulder he saw the two lanky humans sprinting after him. Hal had trouble aiming the gun, but the sight of it made Vegeta increase his speed. His throat ached as the harsh breeze rushed through his windpipe. He choked and gagged as he tried to suck in air, but his chest was so constricted it felt like he was attempting to breathe through a narrow straw.

The humans screamed behind him and he could hear them catching up. There were more gun shots and the trees around him burst as fall leaves were speared. There was no end to these woods in sight and Vegeta cried out in frustration and pain. He could not reach his energy and he could feel his body failing. His skin was crawling with cold and his clothes were weighed-down with wetness.

As he ran forward, he saw the ground suddenly end before him. Pure numbing panic struck him and he ran to the edge of an incredibly steep, rocky plummet. Shaking his head in desperation, he repeatedly chanted “no, no, no, NO!” He ran alongside the sharp edge before being shot at once more. The bullet struck the ground at his feet, the force of it blowing away the grass and dirt. Twirling around in shock, Vegeta came face to face with the rushing humans, his stomach plummeting as he saw Hikaru charging behind them.

But just as Hal and Rich swiped at him…he fell. He stared up at them as they grew smaller and then felt his world spin as he hit the side of the cliff. He swallowed dirt and rock as his body slammed into the hard slanted hill, each strike pushing much needed air from his lungs. He screamed out as his right leg flopped uselessly against the jagged stone and hard dirt before finally striking flat ground, the back of his head slamming against what felt like tiny pebbles.

His open eyes saw the three humans peering down at him from high above, but everything slowly grayed and dimmed into darkness. He didn’t fully black out because he could hear them yelling at each other to get down to him. It would be impossible to climb down the jagged slope. They would have to reach him by taking a different path.

‘Get up, Vegeta,’ he hissed at himself.

But the ground felt so comfortable. Lying on his back, his body twisted and unmoving…it felt nice. Letting his mind drift helped him escape the horrors he had experienced. And he felt so tired. He was so unbelievably exhausted. He wanted this rest. He needed it.

“When you get down there, carry him back to the fucking house! We need to make sure he’s not going to die on us yet!” Hal’s voice screamed.

Vegeta cracked an eye open and saw a large blurry shape cautiously climbing down the steep cliff-side. Hikaru was cursing and babbling incoherently as he held onto the tiny trees and bushes that jutted from the rock and dirt. He was still fairly high up, but it would only be a matter of minutes before he made it to Vegeta.

“No,” the broken saiyajin muttered through the blood in his mouth.

Grabbing his right shoulder, Vegeta pulled himself onto his stomach. He had a sudden flashback to his battle on Earth and wondered if his body was in that bad of a condition. Dragging himself pathetically across the stone path, Vegeta whimpered at the immense pain he felt. There was no way he could get up. He could feel the blood dripping from the cuts on his body like tiny streams. His vision kept dimming and getting brighter and his breath wheezed in and out of him.

“Fuck! He’s awake! Hurry Hikaru!” Rich cried.

Moaning miserably, Vegeta let out a pained sob and very slowly pushed himself to his feet. Staggering many times, the saiyajin finally made it onto both legs. Without looking back, he moved forward, his instincts taking over as he closed his mind off to the pain completely. He was on auto-pilot now and pushed out everything around him. His feet carried him pathetically along the path, but he had no idea if he was going deeper into the woods or running toward freedom.

He just kept running…or trotting as fast as he could. His body was shaking violently now and his eyes could not focus on anything. He wondered if he was dying. He couldn’t get his mind to work and it felt like he no longer had a body. Perhaps he had left it back at the bottom of the cliff and he was just a spirit now. Perhaps Hal was right. Maybe Hikaru was satisfied with just a body. He would not put it past these humans.

But he was immediately brought out of these thoughts by the sound of harsh panting. Something big was barreling directly behind him.

“Going for a jog, little monkey?” Hikaru roared.

Vegeta’s eyes continued to stare blindly forward, but his instincts reacted. He was certain Hikaru didn’t see it…but he did. Just as Hikaru leapt for him, Vegeta made a left turn where the path split. Letting himself slide down the pebble path, Vegeta rolled onto the ground and stumbled to his feet again. It was a small diversion, but he was now a few steps ahead of Bruce. Looking over his shoulder, he picked up his pace and began to sprint as fast as he could in his condition. Over the small rise Hikaru appeared and jumped from the little hill. Sliding on the pebble path, the beast of a man took off after him, his feet sending the tiny rocks flying.

Vegeta continued to gaze over his shoulder…until he heard the sound of cars. His head whipped forward and he almost screamed with hysterical joy. Through the break of the trees he could see it! Civilization! Cars zoomed past and people could be seen on the sidewalk. The path curved downward and the entrance to the vast woods was hidden by thick bushes, but it was there!

Hikaru roared behind him and Vegeta shot him a look over his shoulder. The man was so close, his large hand outstretched to grab him. With a growl, the saiyajin picked up his speed, desperation and panic giving him the adrenaline he needed. Still gazing over his shoulder, Vegeta felt the path curve downward and he brought whatever energy he had into his system. The nausea began to build but he needed this power more than ever. He was so close! He was going to make it! Pushing his energy around him, he sped up even more and craned his neck to see how close the ogre was. The angry piggy eyes suddenly widened and Hikaru stopped abruptly.

Vegeta’s eyebrows knit together in confusion before he suddenly collided with something hard and solid. With a loud “oof!” the saiyajin fell back, his head meeting the hard ground once more. Groaning, he pressed the bottom of his hand to his forehead as the pain was registered in his body once more.

“V-Vegeta?!”

The saiyajin’s wide eyes opened and stared forward, then bulged even more from his head. Falling back, Vegeta scrambled away from the two humans, his arms and legs kicking up pebbles as he scuttled away from them.

“N-no,” Vegeta whispered through a completely dry mouth. “Not you, too. You’re in on this? No! NO!”

Giant rough hands suddenly gripped him and pulled him to his feet. The sound of panting was heard as Hal and Rich joined the scene. Screaming now, Vegeta flailed and kicked out at the humans, demanding they let him go. He cursed and snarled as he flung his head back and spat at them.

“What is he doing out?” Skip demanded.

Yamcha watched the whole scene, perplexed and utterly confused. Hal quickly locked eyes on the new guest and hid the gun in his back pants pocket. Hikaru held the struggling saiyajin, finding it difficult with his strength. But luckily the chase and the fall had weakened the alien greatly. He would not be escaping again and his frantic actions were exhausting him more.

“What the hell is going on here?” Yamcha asked in shock.

He watched the writhing saiyajin fight desperately to remove himself from the giant man’s clutches…but he was completely overpowered. And from the feel of it, the large man barely had a power-level himself! But as Yamcha concentrated…Vegeta had no energy either.

“This was what I wanted to show you,” Skip said, gesturing to the screaming saiyajin. “You see…he-he destroyed a nearby village, Yamcha!”

The Earth warrior immediately looked at his friend and then to the saiyajin who had suddenly become still. Vegeta looked at the lying human as he gave him a small smirk.
Shaking his head, Vegeta began to fight again.

“No! That’s not true! I’ll fucking kill you! Don’t believe him! I didn’t do anything l-“

Hikaru placed a large hand over Vegeta’s mouth and the other two grabbed onto the saiyajin, holding him still.

“I didn’t want to worry you, so I tried to make it seem more like a surprise,” Skip explained innocently. “I got word that he was destroying a nearby village and killing and raping people…so I decided to stop him. I didn’t want to act until I got someone powerful like you to help me…so I kept him under close watch with my friends here.”

Vegeta screamed and cursed under the giant hand, his head shaking back and forth in denial. His wide eyes searched Yamcha frantically, but the human had become suddenly quiet, his face pulled in anger. The scarred human could only stare at the writhing saiyajin in disgust before lowering his head and sighing.

“We had better take care of this then,” he said sadly.

Skip could barely contain his excitement, but he made his face serious. “We’ll bring him back to my cabin. I know what to do.”

The group of humans drew together and they carried the moaning fighting saiyajin back to his dungeon. By the time they reached the house, Vegeta had exhausted himself and could only hang limply from Hikaru’s strong arms. Before they opened the door, Skip excused himself and brought Hikaru, Hal, and Rich to the other side of the house. Yamcha watched as the group carried along the saiyajin and wondered what they were all going to do about this situation.

On the opposite side of the house, Skip pointed an angry finger at all of them. Vegeta hung limp under Bruce’s arm, his mouth no longer covered. But he knew he could no longer fight.

“I told you every two fucking hours!” Skip hissed, his anger flooding his face. His hands shook in fury. None of them said anything. They looked at their feet in shame and embarrassment. “It was a simple task. Even the smallest amount of power from this monkey is too much of a risk. Bring him back inside. Dose him with three needles.”

“Three?” Rich whispered.

Skip slapped the writer harshly.

“You idiots didn’t inject him with the serum the whole time I was gone! He gets three! It’s all of your jobs to take care of him while he’s out of it.”

“I was about to…” Hal murmured.

“About to,” Skip snapped. “And look at how well that worked out,” he said as he waved a hand toward the motionless saiyajin under Hikaru’s arm.

“I can’t promise we’ll be too gentle with this monkey once we get him inside,” Hikaru barked.

“You…” Skip pointed angrily, “you watch yourself. Concentrate on bringing your other stupid personality back since you’re obviously too much of a fuck-up to watch one puny alien.”

Hikaru tensed and the small group eyed the General as angry red veins popped out over his forehead. Skip’s icy eyes stared into Hikaru’s unblinking, not a fraction of fear on his face. The beast of a man took a few calming breaths and stormed to one of the back entrances of the home. Kicking open the door, he tossed the saiyajin inside and slammed the heavy plank loudly behind him. Skip turned to the other two.

“My invention that is in my room…use it on the saiyajin.” When Rich stared at the smaller man quizzically, Skip turned to his half-brother impatiently. “After you’ve placed it inside him, restrain him. The poison is definitely enough to leave him completely powerless and incredibly exhausted, but I’m not taking any chances. Tie him up or hold onto him, but don’t let him escape!”

Skip glared at the two from behind his thick glasses. Nodding once, the leader of the group circled to the front the house and led Yamcha inside. The cabin was large, but the inside was a genius creation. The front part and many side rooms were very normal and even welcoming. The kitchen was plain and bright; there were bedrooms with comfortable beds and hanging pictures, and a living room with a T.V. and couches. There was one small panel, almost like a single pantry door, in the living room immediately behind a large oak cabinet. It was quite unnoticeable, but it was that which led to the very secluded regions of the home. There was an entire section dedicated to what these men thrived off of and participated in. It truly was a cabin straight out of horror movie.

Skip led Yamcha to the living room where they both sat on an old flowered couch. Yamcha gazed around his surroundings, his thoughts racing as he took in the recent events.

“Where did they take him?”

Skip motioned over his shoulder. “I told them to put him in my room for now. I have a sedative that will make him less dangerous.”

As he said these words, a loud commotion came from the room, forcing Yamcha to his feet. Skip raised a hand nervously to calm him.

“I assure you, Yamcha, they can take care of it. They have been watching him since we caught him attacking the village. It may look like he’s given them some problems, but they have had complete control of situation since he got here. He’s just fighting the sedative.”

The scarred human stood a moment longer, his heart racing as he heard the saiyajin shout and scream at the humans restraining him. But his cries were like nothing he had ever heard from the brash and arrogant fighter. He sounded truly panicked and even a bit…tearful. But Yamcha shook his head and took a seat again. The two remained silent as the noises continued down the hall.

Hikaru gripped Vegeta’s chin painfully as Hal raised the second needle. When the first large syringe sank into his neck, Vegeta felt his world crumble into millions of pieces. Despair so powerful he thought might die rushed through his mind and body. He had been so close.

“So close…” he croaked as the burning solution poured into his blood-stream.

He could already feel himself fading away. The tiny amount of power he held earlier was crushed to pieces and completely engulfed by the ki-sucking serum. He could only lie pathetically on the floor as Hikaru held his head steady and the other two restrained his arms. He couldn’t stop the quivering lip as Hal raised the third giant needle. He could only pray that he overdosed and would never wake again.

After the final cold needle pierced his carotid artery, Vegeta fell into an uneasy sleep. He could sense the world spinning around him, but he didn’t know if he was truly viewing what was happening. The figures around him talked in low tones, their voices completely incomprehensible. His body felt immensely heavy, yet light as a feather at the same time. He couldn’t lift a finger and the waves of nausea that passed through him were ignored as he lay completely motionless on the floor, his eyes dulled and barely open.

He sensed something happening to his body, but couldn’t find the energy or care to fight it. Hands grabbed at him, voices spoke, the clothes upon his body were toyed with and re-arranged, but he had no idea what was happening. He could tell they were doing something to him…but he just wanted to sleep for once.

Yamcha and Skip listened to the quiet noises in the other room. It appeared that Vegeta had finally been silenced and controlled. Skip had just finished telling Yamcha about the “recent events,” explaining to the warrior how Hal and Rich had been driving home and witnessed the saiyajin destroying homes and killing people, how he had taken young girls and had his way with them. They didn’t know what else to do other than call Skip, who just happened to have the scientific necessities just for this situation. They had captured the saiyajin, restrained him, punished him a little, and waited for the morning to get Yamcha.

The story was quick, yet fascinating and horrifying. Yamcha listened in awe and anger at the words Skip spoke…even though there seemed to be something odd about the tale. But he was not about to call his friend a liar. And Yamcha knew this was something Vegeta would do. Even if he had never actually seen the saiyajin do anything like this…he just knew it was true. He didn’t need the physical proof. Vegeta was a murderer and a psycho.

“You are all so lucky you escaped unscathed,” Yamcha said. “I’m just surprised none of us felt it. I wonder what spurred the bastard to do it.”

“It was a small village…pretty far from West City,” Skip added quickly. “I’m sure he hadn’t had his fill of murdering lately. He got bored…did whatever he wanted.”

Yamcha nodded and stood.

“I want to talk to him. I just have to know why he did it,” he said angrily.

The door to Skip’s room creaked open and Rich sauntered out, his hair a mess and eyes lowered. He was awfully afraid of Skip and their recent failures had made him even more nervous around the genius scientist.

“He’s been restrained and sedated.”

“Good. Tell Hal and Hikaru to come out here.”

Rich turned around and meandered back to the room and was followed out by the two other humans. Turning to Yamcha, Skip nodded.

“Go ahead and talk to him. But as a warning…he will be very disoriented with the drugs in his system. He’s not likely to know what he is saying.”

The other three humans’ faces lit with surprise as Skip allowed the Earth warrior access to speak to the saiyajin. But the spectacled man simply smiled as Yamcha walked past and entered the room where Vegeta was being held captive. No matter what happened, Skip was certain Yamcha would get the revenge he deserved.