Chapter 4.

Trunks and Vegeta continued to stare at each other. Trunks were panting heavily from trying to over come the proud prince. But he wasn’t about to give up now, his mission was repeatedly running through his mind over and over again like a broken record, which wouldn’t stop until he had successfully completed it. He had to bring the Prince to his master and nothing and no one was going to get in his way!

“What’s wrong boy, had enough already?” Vegeta smirked.

“ Vegeta, are you nuts? Trunks isn’t thinking clearly, can’t you see that, something’s wrong with him, we need to help him not beat the crap out of him!!,” Tien protested trying to buy a little more time before Goku came. Things were blowing out of proportion very quickly and knowing Vegeta he wouldn’t back down, even if it were his son that was challenging him.

“ Why don’t you mind your own damn business three eyes?! The boy obviously wants a fight so he came to the right place!” Vegeta said never taking his eyes from the son standing in front of him.

“ENOUGH! I need to complete my mission, so shut your mouth and lets do this!” Trunks interrupted, annoyance clearly showing in his voice.

Vegeta grit his teeth in anger, how dare the boy speak to him in such a tone, he of all people should know not to disrespect him. Vegeta’s blood began to boil, even if he didn’t really want to fight his son before, he wanted to at least rough him up a bit now.

Suddenly Trunks launched at Vegeta again without warning, snapping Vegeta out of his line of thoughts quickly. Trunks threw a punch but missed and within seconds he felt a sharp agonising pain shoot through his rib cage as his father ploughed into it with his knee. He stepped back slightly clutching his chest only to be pushed back further by the force of Vegeta’s oncoming attack of quick punches and swift kicks. He tried to block best he could but some of them got through re opening some of the wounds cooler had inflicted on him. Then without warning Vegeta’s gloved hand suddenly rushed past his block and landed perfectly on his jaw. He felt a warm sensation in his mouth and the tangy taste of his blood. Then before he could get a grip on what had just happened he felt his body rush toward the floor and hit with a heavy thud.

Vegeta stood over the befallen body of his son, but he wasn’t smirking, he didn’t even look angry anymore, he couldn’t explain how he felt at this point, all he knew was that there was something terribly wrong with his son. What had that monster done to him to make him want to fight his own father until the death? Vegeta growled inwardly at the thought of Cooler who probably knew all that was taking place right now and was more than likely laughing, laughing at him. He bent down to his sons’ battered body and checked to see if he was still conscious but before he could confirm it a very angry Trunks opened his eyes to look at his father. He struggled to gain his composure and continued to stare at his father who was now standing looking straight back at him. Trunks swirled the blood around in his mouth and turned his head to the side as he spat it out. He turned back to his father growling through blood stained teeth. He began to power up in a rage, this time he wouldn’t be so easy. Before Vegeta could power up himself Trunks burst into a super saiyan, his aura lighting up the dim lab and all around him. He launched yet again toward the Prince not even giving him the slightest chance to power up himself. He threw punch after punch Kick after kick all too quick and too powerful for Vegeta to block. He kept pounding down onto his father not allowing any time for his ascension. Vegeta felt his sons’ deadly blows one after another pummelling him relentlessly not even holding back like he had been. Not that he’d ever admit that.. How could he do this, not even allow him time to power up, this was definitely not something his son would do. Trunks knew from his father that it would be cowardly and low to do such a thing and that it went against everything a saiyan believed in whilst in battle.

“ Tien shouldn’t we do something?!” Krillen shouted over to his friend, who was now completely in shock at the scene unfolding before him.

“TIEN?!”

Tien finally snapped out of his trance and glanced over to his worried friend. “ Goku will be here soon, he will be the only one strong enough to stop this Krillen.”

Suddenly Vegeta’s body flew past Krillen into the medical equipment placed around the empty bed. Krillen staggered back in shock only to feel a warm breeze rush past him. Trunks pounced onto his father grabbing him around his throat unmercifully lifting him up in the air trying to choke the life from his battered body.

“ Not so funny now is it monkey Prince?” Trunks smirked an almost identical smirk to his fathers.

Vegeta started to choke trying to spit angry words to his captor but couldn’t get the breath from his lungs to his mouth to sound the words.

“Let him go!”

Trunks turned around slowly still clutching his father neck. He smirked when he saw an angry Goku standing at the doorway to the lab.

Trunks narrowed his eyes, “ You’ll stay out of this if you know what’s good for you!”

Goku took a step closer, “ Please Trunks, look at what you are doing. He’s your father! How could you do this? What’s happened to you? The Trunks I knew would never do such a horrible thing!”

Trunks smirked again his grip tightening around his fathers’ throat. “ I have no idea what you are talking about you pathetic idiot, but I know I have no father!” Vegeta’s eyes widened, not only from the deathly grip but also from Trunks’s words. They cut through him like a knife. How could he say that? How could he say he has no father? Vegeta felt like the grip that was around his windpipe had just constricted around his heart. He never showed anyone how much he really cared for the boy but he knew that he would do anything for his son, anything to protect him, and his mother.

Goku looked down disappointed, he didn’t want to fight the kid he had come to respect and become friends with. But he was leaving him with no choice, he couldn’t just let him take Vegeta off to Kami knows where, to endure whatever hell this ‘master’ had instore for him. With that final though Goku fell back into his fighting stance.

Bulma finally came round hearing her sons voice growling at Goku threateningly. It had to be the Nanites. It just had to be. Trunks would never act like this unless there was something really wrong. He would never lay a finger on her, or his father. She slowly crawled over to her desk and quietly opened the bottom draw. She peered in trying to be careful not draw attention to what she was doing and reached in to grab the briefcase that was carefully placed inside. She lifted it out of the draw slowly and placed it on the floor. Bulma hesitated a second briefly looking up at Goku advancing on Trunks and then flipped back the catches on the case and opened it carefully. She looked relieved to find that the tranquilliser gun was still in there with all four needles, All which were powerful enough to knock out a large adult elephant with a single shot. A look of sadness came over her as she began quietly loading the gun. She didn’t want to have to do this to her own son, she loved him with all her heart but she couldn’t let him hurt all those that were trying to help him, to figure out what was wrong with him. The ones that she loved and he once loved. Sweat began to drip from her brow as she clicked the dart into place.

“Let him go Trunks, he can’t breathe! You’re going to kill him!” Goku shouted, panicking at the sight of Vegeta’s face turning a pale blue.

Bulma licked her lips and swallowed hard, her throat felt dry and she could hear her heart speed up as she pulled the gun up and looked down the barrel to aim at her unsuspecting son. She quickly looked at Vegeta as he was struggling to stay conscious and knew she better do it now or face loosing him too. She took a deep breath and a determined look came over her face as she focused. She grit her teeth and pulled back the trigger.

Goku’s eyes widened as he saw a small needle embed into Trunks’s neck perfectly. He looked in the direction from where the shot had came from and saw Bulma trembling still holding the gun as if she hadn’t even fired it. Unfortunately so had Trunks and he quickly threw Vegeta to the floor and advanced on his terrified mother. He ran toward her but then felt a wave of dizziness over come him with each step. He tried to shrug it of and carried on but before he could get to Bulma a flash of orange appeared before his blurred vision.

“Stay away from her!” Goku said trying to stop the now staggering Trunks.

“W..what did you d..do to me?…….” But before he could even reach Goku he felt himself fall to his knees. Trunks looked up to see Bulma trying to crawl away from him in horror. He wouldn’t let her escape so easily, she had stopped his mission yet again and she had to be punished. He started to crawl on his hands and knees towards her like some monster out of a horror movie, growling and hissing at her as he advanced. Suddenly he was jolted back by Goku’s boot hitting him in the side. He tried to get up but his body refused to do as he commanded. He looked up to see Goku now standing over him. His eyes began to feel heavy and he slipped into darkness.

Goku watched as the young saiyan gave up his fight on the tranquilliser that was running through his veins. He bent down and picked up his limp body and brought him back over to the bed and laid him down making sure he clamped down every limb. He didn’t want to risk him escaping, not in this dangerous state he was in. Bulma quickly ran over to the bed and inserted a drip to keep him drugged. But as soon as she did that she remembered Vegeta.

“Vegeta!” She ran over to his side and rolled him over to face her. He looked like he had been in a war. His spandex suit was ripped and his face dripped so much blood that she didn’t know from which cut it was coming from. “Vegeta, please wake up!” She cried softly into his ear. But she got no response. She checked for a pulse and held her breath until she finally felt it, it was faint but it was there. She quickly stood up and ran to pull up another bed for him.

“Goku do think you could put him onto the bed for me?”

Goku nodded and walked over to where Vegeta lay. He felt for his saiyan Prince at this point, lying on the floor like a bruised and battered warrior who had just lost a battle. But strangely enough a battle with his own flesh and blood. He knew Vegeta had grown somewhat softer towards the boy, especially after the events that happened at the cell games. He saw the look of horror on his face as his son fell to the floor with a hole through his chest. But now, what would he think, having been beaten to a bloody pulp by his own child. As he bent down to lift him up he heard the prince start to mumble something in a strange language, something he had never heard before. Goku stopped moving him for a second thinking he was coming round but Vegeta said no more and remained limp and lifeless in his arms. He then quickly stood up and brought him over to the bed that Bulma had gotten ready for him and placed his body down onto the sheets.

“Goku, do you think you could run over to Corins and get some Sensu beans?” Bulma said inserting drips into Vegeta’s hands to try and kill some of the pain he was suffering.

“Sure thing Bulma, as long as you are sure you will be ok here on your own for a little while?”

“Hey, I’ll be fine! Trunks won’t be waking up for a long time, I have pumped him with enough drugs to keep a grown Dinosaur in slumber for a week!” She said glancing over to her son.

Goku nodded and turned to his to stunned comrades, “Well ok, I’ll be back real soon, Tien, Krillen, keep a look out. If he looks like he’s going to wake up make sure he doesn’t! Ok?”

Krillen and Tien nodded and watched as Goku silently slipped through the doorway. As soon as the door shut they heard whimpering coming from Vegeta’s bedside.

“Bulma………..are you…….ok?” Krillen said slowly walking over to her. He watched as she buried her face into Vegeta’s bloody arm crying uncontrollably. Krillen felt really sorry for all she has had to endure over the past few weeks and today had been the icing on the cake for her. Krillen had known Bulma since they we kids and knew that she really needed a friend right now.

“Bulma, don’t worry, Vegeta will be ok, you know he’s a tough guy!” Krillen then turned to look at Trunks, “And I know you’ll find out what’s wrong with Trunks, you’re a genius, if anyone knows how to help him……….it’s you!” He said trying to boost her ego, he knew that was a sure way to cheer her up in any situation. But instead Bulma threw herself at the surprised bald warrior and buried her head in his chest, slumping to her knees slightly so she was more at his level. She cried heavily now soaking Krillen’s fighting Gi with her tears. He knotted his eyebrows with sadness for her and embraced Bulma allowing her to let all her emotions drain out into his chest.

Few hours later……………

Bulma sat in a chair holding a hot cup of tea that a concerned Krillen had made her. She sat for a few minuets not saying a word to anyone, appreciating the warmth of the drink in her hand. Tien sat opposite with Krillen, listening to the constant beep of the machines that were helping Vegeta escape the pain he was in. Bulma shuffled in her seat and they both quickly turned to her. She stood up putting the cup down on the desk and started to walk over to Trunks. She looked at his fresh wounds that Vegeta had inflicted on him and began to inspect them again. Her eyes narrowed in a silent sadness when she realised that the black dots she had seen earlier were still floating around in his cuts.

“What is it Bulma?” Krillen piped up waking her suddenly from her thoughts.

Bulma looked around to her friend, her face a picture of depression, “You wouldn’t understand if I told you Krillen.”

“I might not, but it might help you if you talk to someone about it. You know what’s wrong with him……….don’t you?” Krillen asked.

Bulma looked up and sighed, “Yes.”

Krillen looked over to Tien who was now listening in to the conversation, “Tell us Bulma, we want to know. What did that evil freak do to him?”

Bulma swallowed hard, she felt like she was going to burst into to tears again, but she couldn’t, she had shed enough tears today and that wasn’t going to help her son or Vegeta, she had to be strong. “He has Nanites in his blood, Cooler must have injected him with them whilst he was on the ship. For some reason it seems he was the only one to be infected with them.”

Krillen and Tien said nothing hoping she would explain more what these Nanite things were.

Bulma knew they hadn’t got a clue what she was talking about and so carried on, “ Nanites are microscopic robots that can manipulate a living creature or electrical things such as robots, computers and so on. They can change a persons DNA structure and can transmit messages to the person, they can even control what a person or thing does. That’s what I think they are doing to Trunks. They are changing his personality, his usually calm manner into an aggressive one!”

Bulma paused a moment and put her hand over her sons’, “ It seems Cooler has some very intelligent scientists working on board his ship to be able to develop this kind of technology yet. They must have programmed the Nanites to send messages to Trunks’s brain making him complete a mission Cooler has ordered. He probably doesn’t even know what he is doing; they have turned him into some kind of android. They have taken control of everything, His Body, his actions………….his mind!” A tear slipped from her eye that she didn’t even realise she had shed.

Krillen looked down at the floor not knowing what to say. Tien looked up and decided that he would break the awkward silence, “ Do you know how to stop them, now that you know what they are?”

Bulma looked around at him but the look of despair told him that she couldn’t. “That kind if technology is too advanced even for me Tien! Oh Kami why him, why my Trunks!” She threw herself over his body as if protecting him from a blast. Krillen’s eyes widened and he pulled Bulma off the young Saiyan’s body, “Bulma please don’t get too close to him, I know this is hard on you, but he’s still dangerous right now. If he woke up now we’d be in big trouble, especially with Vegeta out for the count!”

Suddenly the door opened and Goku came bounding through with a bag full of Sensu beans from Corin. He smiled at his friend and walked over to Vegeta. He searched around in the bag for a bean and pulled one out. He looked at it for a moment and grinned, “Here ya’ go Vegeta, now all you gotta’ do is chew!” He said popping the bean into the Princes bruised mouth. Bulma and the others quickly walked over to Goku waiting for Vegeta to awaken. They all stood there for a few moments, but nothing happened. “What’s wrong? Why isn’t he waking up?!” Bulma said beginning to panic. Goku scratched his head in confusion. “Gee I dunno Bulma, these are fresh from Corins, they should be fine!”

Tien looked closer at the still not moving Vegeta, “That’s why you guys!” Tien said smiling slightly, “He hasn’t swallowed it, he’s probably too out of it to realise what’s happening!”

“Oh………….well how are we gonna’ make him swallow it without making him choke?” Krillen said looking into Vegeta’s mouth trying not to get to close to the temperamental prince.

“Wait, I know!” Bulma said pressing a button on the machine that was pumping Vegeta’s body with pain killing drugs. She then leaned over Vegeta and began to softly nudge him, “Vegeta……….Vegeta wake up.” She said in her softest ever-possible voice. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly and whispered into his ear. Suddenly Vegeta’s eyes slowly began to flutter open much to the others surprise. What had she said to him to make him wake up when he was practically out cold!

Vegeta began to grumble in pain. Bulma looked him the eyes, “Vegeta, you have a Sensu bean in your mouth, Goku got it for you, you need to swallow it and you’ll be ok.”

Vegeta’s eyes widened slightly and he slowly began to chew after taking in everything she had just said. He swallowed hard allowing the foul tasting bean to reach his stomach. He felt a rush of warmth fill his every limb and the pain drifted away from his aching body. He closed his eyes for a moment allowing the magical bean to do its work. Goku looked over at Bulma and smiled. She was going to be ok now.

Vegeta opened his eyes to see a pair of bright blue ones staring back at him with hope and joy that he was ok. How he wanted to hold her right then, but he knew he wouldn’t, not in front of those weaklings. He grunted at the thought and began to sit up. “What took you so long, do you enjoy seeing me in pain or something woman?!”

Bulma’s eyes began to melt away from caring into pure anger, “What?! Vegeta you jerk do you have any idea what I have been through….you…you heartless bastard!!!” She screamed making the others clamp their hands over their ears cringing at the sound of her hysterical voice.

He grunted and swung his legs over the bed and attempted to stand, “Please stop you’re whining woman, otherwise these weaklings will have to take some of those beans to repair the damage you do to their ears with your loud mouth!” He smirked knowing that would wind her up even more.

Bulma’s mouth hung open for a moment trying to think of something to offend him with but before anything came out a small groan came from Trunks’s bed and everyone watched in horror as his eyes drifted open for a moment.

“How the hell?! He can’t be awake, he just can’t be!” Bulma trembled at the thought of a repeat performance of earlier; she couldn’t bear to see that cold heartless look in her sons’ eyes again. It would tear her apart!

Goku and the other fighters quickly walked over to his bedside and watched as Trunks tried to speak.

“M..mom…where are you?” His voice sounded groggy and filled with confusion. Why was his head spinning and his body aching as if he had just been hit by a bus? His vision was blurred, all he could see was a never-ending sea of white, but suddenly he heard voices, voices he recognised and he knew in an instant where he was. But why on earth was he clamped to a bed like a prisoner?

To be continued………..