Note: IN this chapter a Saiyan named Vegeta is mentioned. This is not our beloved anti-hero from the real show. This is his father King Vegeta.
CHAPTER SEVEN
"What’s a saiyan?" Logan asked as Deemos began to walk across the room toward one of the doored tunnels.
"I’ll tell you when…"
"When we get to your chamber," Logan finished knowing what Deemos was going to say. "I don’t know why I asked," Logan mumbled.
They soon reached the old, rotting door and stepped through it. The hallway inside looked identical to the one Logan had just come out of, except this one had other wooden doors on either side about every five feet, whereas the other hallway had only one throughout it’s entire length. They walked for what seemed like an hour without going in any of the doors.
"How much of this place is there?" Logan wondered aloud.
"What?" Deemos asked.
"Nothing," Logan responded, knowing what the answer would be if he repeated the question. So the two continued on, and on, and on until finally, far off in the distance, Logan could see a door at the end of the hallway.
"It’s about time," Logan thought to himself. After a few more agonizing minutes of walking, they finally reached the door. Deemos opened it and stepped through. Logan quickly followed, happy that the journey was over, only to see that it wasn’t. Instead of seeing anything that would look like a chamber, Logan saw yet another training room. This one was about a fourth the size of the last, but otherwise exactly the same. There were only about ten tunnel ways in this room, all of which appeared to be used often.
Deemos led Logan around the dirt pit in the center of the floor and to a door on the opposite side of the room. Once again Logan followed Deemos through the door, expecting to have another exhausting journey down a long, dark hallway. But to Logan’s surprise this hallway was only about ten feet long with florescent light fixtures in the ceiling, giving the small tunnel ample lighting. At the end was another decrepit, wooden door, which Logan followed Deemos to.
"This is my chamber," Deemos announced as he opened the door. The two walked inside and Deemos shut the door after Logan had stepped through. The room was completely made of old, gray stone like most of the place had been. To his right Logan observed a small, wooden desk with many old, decaying paper scrolls and scriptures sitting on top of it. In the back of the room was a bed much like the one Logan had awakened in. In the middle sat a large, red rug that added a little color to the dull room. On the walls hung several sets of swords, both medieval and kitana style. Numchucks, sighs, and staffs among various other deadly weapons were also on the walls. Pretty much the entire arsenal of the ninja turtles was there.
"Take a seat," Deemos said in a commanding tone. Logan quickly looked around the room for a chair before spotting what appeared to be the only one, scooted under the desk. He pulled it out and sat down. The chair was wooden and appeared to be very old, but was surprisingly sturdy. Deemos reached under his bed and pulled back a small, burlap bag. He then grabbed from it a small, green thing that looked like a lima bean.
"Here, eat this," Deemos said, handing the object to Logan.
"What is it?" Logan asked curiously.
‘It’s called a senzu bean," Deemos answered. "It’ll fix your hand," At this Logan gave Deemos an odd look, but didn’t question him.
"What the hell," Logan reasoned. "This place is already weird enough. Why not?" With his new reasoning Logan popped the bean into his mouth. It was surprisingly hard, but chewable. For the most part it had no taste, which helped considering it’s less than pleasing texture. Logan chewed until the bean turned to mush, and swallowed. Instantly he felt a tingling sensation shoot through his entire body. He looked at his injured right hand in time to see the swelling recede, and then disappear. Inside his hand he could feel his shattered bones shifting and reconnecting until finally, his hand was healed. Logan stared in awe at his newly healed limb.
"How…" he started, but decided that it was probably useless to ask.
"Now," Deemos said getting back to business. "You had many questions, I will try to answer them now. This is the underground dwelling of the Secret Society of Secate. Some would call us a cult until they truly understood what we are. Here we find the best martial artist and make them better. We train them to go beyond what is thought to be humanly possible," Deemos explained in words that did nothing but confuse Logan beyond his previous, utterly dazed state.
"Wait," Logan said completely dumbfounded. "I’ve been kidnapped and taken to some crazy, underground cult to be trained. Is that what you’re trying to say?"
"Yes," Deemos answered plainly. "But there’s more to it than that. Many great masters believe that with enough training all martial arts will bring a person to a common end, no matter which martial art that person trained in. They believe that eventually all martial artists will become equal, will become perfect and that there’s nothing beyond that point," Deemos explained. " They’re wrong. That point does exist, but there is something beyond it. For hundreds of years martial arts masters have been perfecting their minds and bodies to go far beyond what’s thought to be possible, and organizations like ours still do today," Deemos explained further. Logan didn’t exactly understand what Deemos was saying, but it sounded good.
"So why are you guys hiding in a cult? If you’re so great why aren’t you out acting like some kind of super heroes or something?" Logan asked.
"Throughout history we have been forced underground," Deemos began to explain. "People saw our power and they got scared. Angry mobs and violent riots caused us to train in secrecy. At first it was for our own safety, but as we became stronger it more and more became for theirs," Deemos said as if he had been there through it all.
"So you want to train me?" Logan asked.
"Yes," Deemos answered.
"But that doesn’t answer why or how you found me," Logan stated.
"There are some people who aren’t strong enough to train with us here. So we send them throughout North America to teach the martial arts to others. If a really good one, like you, comes through they tell us and we recruit them," Deemos explained to the curious boy. "Your instructor is one of these men,"
"So that’s what you call recruiting," Logan said sarcastically. "So he told you to take me?" Logan asked to make sure.
"Not exactly," Deemos told him. "He told us about you, but the one we really wanted was Eddie. He has heritage that’s incredibly valuable in our sort of training. I was sent to take Eddie, but after I subdued you I noticed that your uniform had opened up a little and I saw what’s wrapped around your waist," Deemos said. Logan knew that Deemos was talking about his tail. "I know what you are," Deemos told him.
"So what am I?" Logan asked in shock.
"You’re a saiyan," Deemos answered, bringing Logan back to his original question.
"What’s a saiyan?" Logan asked again.
"The saiyan are a warrior alien race from a planet far from the Earth. They look basically human except for their unusual hair and of course their tails. Being warriors they have a constant bloodlust and a strong will to fight," Deemos explained. Logan was confused and in utter disbelief, but somehow he knew it was true.
"If they’re from a far away planet, how do know about them?" Logan asked, overcome with curiosity now more than ever.
"About twenty years ago a small group of saiyans fled their planet for reasons that are still unknown. First, there was Vegeta; a high-ranking military officer and a powerful warrior. With him were Bardock; a middle-ranking warrior, Kyra; a low ranking half-breed warrior. Her father belonged to a humanoid race that the saiyans had conquered. Also with them were Kyra’s husband, who belonged to the same race that Kyra’s father did, and her newborn son whom you know as Eddie. Bardock also brought a newborn son, but wasn’t able to bring his wife. They were on their way to a distant planet when their engines quit and they crash-landed on Earth. My master, Master Gohan, sensed the saiyans’ incredible energy and went to the crash site. Ultimately Vegeta joined us and even trained us. He quickly produced a son with a human woman and lived here until his death two years ago. I am his son. Kyra and her husband mixed into normal society and raised Eddie as a human. Eddie has one-fourth saiyan blood and would probably make a powerful warrior. Other than his mother and me Eddie was thought to have the most saiyan heritage of anyone on the Earth and that’s why we wanted him. But then I found you," Deemos explained to Logan.
"So if I’m one of these saiyans then how’d I get here?" Logan asked more confused now than ever before. Every explanation Logan was given became crazier as it progressed, yet no matter how odd the stories were Logan still couldn’t push past the feeling that it was all true.
"That’s what I want to know," Deemos told Logan. "It’s believed that Kakarrot, Bardock’s son, died in the crash. Master Gohan and Vegeta searched for him, but only his tail was found. It was most likely severed in the crash. Bardock disappeared soon after. Master Gohan felt his energy rise dramatically and then suddenly die out. No trace of him has been found since. We believe he’s dead, but it is possible that Kakarrot survived. It’s also possible that you’re him," Deemos said in his deep, stern tone in an attempt to hide his wonder and excitement, but Logan could still see what was really going through Deemos’s head. "The only thing that throws me off is that you have a tail,"
"It grew in when I was twelve," Logan informed Deemos. " I didn’t have one until then,"
"You may be Kakarrot," Deemos said. "I may investigate into it later. You have three days to decide if you’re going to stay. For now I need to take care of some business with Master Gohan. I’ll have Master Yamcha take care of you right now. Do you have any more questions?" Deemos asked Logan.
"Yeah. I can go back?" Logan asked excitedly.
"Yes," Deemos answered. "We don’t force anyone to stay,"
"Aren’t you worried I might tell somebody?" Logan asked.
"No one would believe you, and even if they did they wouldn’t be able to find us," Deemos told Logan confidently. "Is that all?"
"No," Logan answered. " If Eddie’s a saiyan then wouldn’t his brother be one too?" Logan asked.
"No, he was adopted," Deemos answered.
"There’s one more thing," Logan said, standing up. "Where am I?"